Several partners have collaborated to unlock the data potential contained in the National Health Laboratory Service data.
We provide a brief overview of the nature of each partner and its role in the project. Contact information is provided below each partner description.
National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS)
Through its countrywide network of quality-assured diagnostic laboratories, the NHLS is the sole provider of diagnostic pathology services to over 80% of the South African population. It also provides surveillance support for communicable diseases, occupational health and cancer. As the primary custodian of all laboratory data supporting this collaboration, the NHLS provides central leadership of the research cohorts’ mission. In addition to ethical oversight and legal governance for data access through the Office of Academic Affairs, the NHLS Central Data Warehouse (CDW) curates and maintains laboratory data records.
Data access requests for the NHLS National Laboratory Research Cohorts Collaboration are managed exclusively through the NHLS online Academic Affairs and Research Management System (www.aarms.nhls.ac.za), reflecting its role as the primary custodian of laboratory data.
Applicants are required to submit a detailed research protocol with prior approval from a recognised local human research ethics committee, after which applications undergo additional scientific, ethical, and governance review by internal NHLS review teams. All requests are assessed in line with NHLS data governance and access procedures, and approval is contingent on compliance with institutional and legal requirements. Where access is granted, participating institutions must enter into formal data transfer agreements to ensure appropriate use, confidentiality, and accountability in the handling of shared data.
Enquires can be directed to Elise Schapkaitz at elise.schapkaitz@nhls.ac.za.
National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD)
The NICD is a national public health institute for South Africa, providing disease surveillance, specialised diagnostic services, outbreak response, public health research and capacity building to support the government’s response to communicable disease threats.
Laboratory data from the NHLS CDW is curated within the NICD’s Surveillance Data Warehouse (SDW) to allow for rapid response to outbreaks as well as robust epidemiologic research and disease surveillance.
The record linkage algorithm developed by this collaboration is directly integrated into the SDW where validation and optimisation occur. The linkage algorithm outputs a unique patient identifier, creating a longitudinal record of all laboratory test results for individuals observed in the NHLS data warehouses.
Boston
University
The Boston University (BU) School of Public Health conducts research across a range of disciplines focused on developing solutions to complex health challenges through engagement in collaborative research activities around the world.
The BU team provides technical support to the NHLS and NICD on linkage and cohort development as well as conducting research data analysis. Through NIH R01 funding, BU co-leads the ENCORE and multimorbidity cohorts with scientists from WITS University.
Enquires can be directed to Jacob Bor at jbor@bu.edu.
The Health Economics and
Epidemiology Research Office (HE²RO)
The Health Economics and Epidemiology Research Office (HE²RO) is a division of the Wits Health Consortium of the University of the Witwatersrand. Its purpose is to conduct applied, policy- and program-relevant research and evaluation on issues of public health importance in South Africa.
HE²RO was established in 2004 as a collaboration between Wits Health Consortium and the Center for Global Health and Development at Boston University in the United States. It focuses on understanding the economic and epidemiological consequences of the HIV and TB epidemics and the effectiveness, benefits, and costs of interventions. It responds directly to requests for information and technical assistance from the National Department of Health, National Health Laboratory Service, Provincial Departments of Health, PEPFAR partners, and healthcare providers, answering questions of immediate practical relevance to these stakeholders. Through NIH R01 funding, HE²RO researchers lead the ATRACT, ENCORE and Pregnancy Cohort projects.
Enquires can be directed to Mhairi Maskew at mmaskew@heroza.org.
Wits Diagnostic
Innovation Hub (DIH)
The Wits Diagnostic Innovation Hub (DIH) is a formally recognised Innovation Hub of the University of the Witwatersrand, hosted within the Faculty of Health Sciences, and its governance is managed by the Health Sciences Research Office and Wits Health Consortium.
WITS DIH’s expertise covers a broad range of diagnostic solutions, including self-collection and self-testing options, point-of-care technologies, laboratory platforms, high-throughput lab solutions, and digital health tools, all aimed at improving healthcare delivery in the public sector. Through clinical trials, real-world data is collected on feasibility and usability, ensuring technologies are effective in everyday clinical settings. Supported by NIH R01 funding, WITS DIH leads the TB Cohort project.
National Cancer
Registry (NCR)
The South African National Cancer Registry (NCR), is a division of the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS).
The NCR serves as South Africa’s main source of national cancer incidence data. Since 1986, the NCR has conducted pathology-based cancer surveillance, where data on cancer cases diagnosed by histology, cytology and bone marrow aspirate and trephine are collected, analysed and reported annually.
Enquires can be directed to Dr Mazvita Muchengeti at MazvitaM@nicd.ac.za.
The NHLS plays the overarching role of data custodian, while the NICD is responsible for surveillance integration and Wits University for linkage infrastructure. HE²RO and Boston University have taken the lead on data analysis, research and leadership of specific cohorts.
Figure 1: Roles and responsibilities between the NHLS, Wits University and Boston University
