Yuri van der Heijden, MD, MPH, and Charles Rhea, MPH, traveled to Johannesburg, South Africa in October 2025 to continue work on the Poor Treatment Response and Outcomes in Bedaquiline-based Treatment Regimens for Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis in South Africa (PROBe DR-TB) study (R01AI158605). The PROBe DR-TB study is a programmatic assessment of bedaquiline-based regimens for the treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) in Gauteng Province, South Africa. This work is conducted in partnership with The Aurum Institute, a public-benefit organization in South Africa that conducts research and provides health services to combat TB and HIV.
During their visit, the research team achieved several key objectives, including conducting site visits to local hospital and clinics, updating healthcare providers on the study’s progress and preliminary findings, and assisting with the collection of clinical data from patient records. These efforts not only strengthened the completeness and quality of the study’s data but also provided invaluable insights into the challenges and complexities of drug-resistant TB care in South Africa.
By fostering collaboration with local healthcare providers, the team deepened partnerships, advanced ongoing work on the study, and took an important step toward completing data collection for the PROBe DR-TB study. The findings from this research will improve understanding of the effectiveness of bedaquiline-based regimens and inform efforts to strengthen treatment strategies and patient outcomes.