Published On: 16 September 2022

Congratulations to Nonhlanhla (Noni) Madondo for winning in the Poster Presentations under Track 4 at the 7th SA TB Conference, for her incredible presentation on ‘Qualitative exploration of the effects of psychological well-being and mental health on DR-TB treatment outcomes in KwaZulu-Natal’.

“The SA-TB conference was truly a transformational experience. The energy was electric and it was inspiring to be around people with similar interests who have done amazing work to curb the impact of TB. I particularly enjoyed the innovative implementation sessions on TB and Adolescents- it was right up my alley as a social scientist and got me thinking about all the opportunities we have as THINKers’ to engage adolescents who have TB.

In the different dialogues I had with the new people I encountered, I got to understand my role as a social science researcher here at THINK. And it is this; we are the bridge between the patients’ desired outcomes and the Health Care Workers and Scientists- we get to translate the patients’ needs and help to ensure that the TB package sees the human behind the illness. Every session, every interaction gave me perspective and energized me. As a bonus, I went in as a research assistant and left the conference as an award-winning researcher. Truly a transcendent experience!” – Nonhlanhla Madondo (THINK’s Research Assistant)