Population Health, Health Systems and Innovation
Ensuring care is given where it's needed most
Labadarios
Prof Demetre Labadarios
Executive Director
What we do

The PHHSI programme conducts primary and secondary research on Health, Science and Technology and Innovation, which enables evidence-based decision-making by our partners. PHHSI works with external partners, the research programmes of the HSRC and, through various networks, builds Health and Science and Technology expertise in South Africa and the continent. 

The principal activities in this research programme involve:

  • Developing innovative research methods and strategies to analyse population health and to make recommendation on necessary, evidence based, interventions
  • Contributing to the better understanding and use of the health care systems and health financing in South Africa and the African continent with the aim of achieving better population health
  • Defining the social and environmental determinants of health in South Africa and the continent
  • Compiling spatial data sets to provide a comprehensive picture of South Africa’s and Africa’s population health as well in Science, Technology and Innovation
  • Designing, implementing and analysing quantitative and qualitative data of national surveys in the Health, Science and Technology and Innovation domains. The data from such surveys are used for evidence based policy formulation
  • Designing and validating primary and composite indicators in Health as well in Science, Technology and Innovation
  • Conceptualising and implementing research project, programme and strategic evaluations and promotion of monitoring and evaluation
  • Working with peers across the African continent and internationally to promote social scientific research, grow capabilities and share knowledge and experience across our fields of expertise

Research Focus

The PHHSI focus research areas are:

  • Life course, life styles and health
  • Demographic profile of South Africa
  • infant, child and maternal health including reproductive health
  • Population health including malaria
  • Determinants of health: smoking, alcohol, stress, drugs, physical activity/fitness and other social factors
  • Environmental health
  • Mental health
  • Nutrition
  • Health systems
    • Access to health care
    • Human resource (include community health workers,  mid-level workers)
    • Quality of health services
    • Management of health care
    • Equipment
  • Financing of health care [National Health Insurance(NHI)]
  • Science, Technology and Innovation

PHHSI Research Centres

The Centre for Science, Technology an Innovation Indicators (CeSTII)

The Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators (CeSTII) was established in 2002 as a long term commitment of the Department of Science and Technology to serve as a base for the production of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) indicators in South Africa. Over the past eight years, the CeSTII work has been centred on the conduct of the National Research and Experimental Development Surveys (R&D Surveys), the South African Innovation Surveys, and as of more recently the national Biotechnology Audit Survey with DST as a primary source of funding for these and other related activities, such as the Knowledge Economy Indicators (KEI). The procedures and systems to conduct the necessary surveys are well developed and are critical towards bringing uniformity and structure to the development of STI indicators in South Africa. The national R&D Surveys annual series forms part of South Africa’s official statistics.

Visit the CeSTii page

The Centre for the Study of the Social and Environmental Determinants of Nutrition (CSSEDN) 

The understanding of the mechanisms that link social factors to nutrition is in urgent need of innovative investigation which can only be achieved by the extensive integration of the molecular and the social aspects of nutrition. Unless such an approach is developed and more extensively investigated, it is unlikely that South Africa will be effective in its interventions into the underlying causes of chronic diseases of lifestyle, such as obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure.

The CSSEDN was launched by the Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, on the 15th March 2010 with the following objectives:

  • To enhance the quality of life of the country’s population through excellence in nutrition research and its dissemination
  • To undertake innovative as well as collaborative research in the social and environmental determinants of nutrition which leads to the improvement of nutrition knowledge and nutritional status in the country, the continent and internationally
  • To serve as a resource centre in knowledge of African diets and foods
  • To create a research environment conducive to training as well as personal and professional growth
One of the CSSEDN”s initial activities has been the launch of the African Task Force for Obesity Research (AfriTOR), a  multi-country (Ghana, Kenya, Zambia, Tanzania, South Africa), multi-institutional (HSRC-UCT-UWC) task force, which will initially map the prevalence of obesity in the continent and formulate guidelines and policy (national and regional) on the prevention and treatment of obesity.