Our Work
Innovation & Research
Turning evidence into action — and action into insight
Building Evidence Into Implementation
Programme science is the use of real-time data and research to shape how health programmes are designed, delivered, and improved. Unlike traditional research, it’s embedded in implementation — responsive, practical, and deeply integrated.
At Anova, we apply this approach to make health services smarter, faster, and more effective. Our work includes:
- Applying epidemiological methods (quantitative and qualitative) to answer service delivery questions
- Managing complex, integrated datasets: combining REDCap, routine data, census data, and DOH-shared programme data
- Creating intuitive, interactive visualisations and dashboards that everyone can use: using accessible tools like PowerBI to democratize data.
Our approach is collaborative — we work closely with provincial, district, and facility teams to ensure data translates into action.
Empowering Implementers as Knowledge Creators
We believe frontline implementers — not just researchers — should shape the public health evidence base. That’s why we’ve supported Anova’s nurses, pharmacists, HIV testing services coordinators, subdistrict managers and other staff to:
- Present at national and global conferences
- Publish in peer-reviewed journals
- Co-author technical briefs and programme evaluations
This culture of embedded learning builds local capacity and lifts implementation voices in global health.
Research Through Academic Partnerships
Anova is a trusted partner in applied research and clinical trials. We often serve as implementation or technical leads in projects that generate actionable evidence. Recent and notable research includes:
- Hepatitis C treatment with UNITAID and PSI
- Project Vuselela, funded by the NIH and implemented in collaboration with Arizona State University and University of California Los Angeles evaluating the role of family support in improving Antiretroviral Therapy and Opioid Substitution Therapy adherence among People Who Use Drugs.
- NIH-funded trials (IMPAACT Network, Stanford PCR study)
- Biobehavioural surveys (BBS) and population size estimates for key populations with UCSF (2012-2017)
- Pioneering key populations care and treatment research conducted in partnership with University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) with funding from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), piloted peer navigation and self-testing models that informed national policy and set new standards for Key Populations programming.
- Applying principles of Behavioural Economics and “nudge theory” in our programmes through collaborations with Indlela@HE2RO.
We collaborate with leading academic institutions in South Africa and abroad, including:
- University of Witwatersrand, University of KwaZulu-Natal Centre for Rural Health, University of Cape Town, University of Pretoria
- University of North Carolina, UCSF, UCLA, Stanford, Boston University, University of Pennsylvania, Arizona State University
Together, we co-design studies, host students, and bring implementation realities into academic settings.
Influencing Policy Through Practice
Anova’s clinical and public health teams have helped shape many national health guidelines, including:
- Implementation of Streamlined Re-Engagement in HIV Treatment and Care – DMOC
- Management of Tuberculosis in Children and Adolescents
- Guideline for Vertical Transmission Prevention of Communicable Infections
- 2023 ART Clinical Guidelines for the Management of HIV in Adults, Pregnancy and Breastfeeding, Adolescents, Children, Infants and Neonates
We’ve also supported the Department of Health teams in implementing these guidelines through hands-on training and mentoring, helping policy move from paper to practice.