Great strides in tuberculosis (TB) research in recent decades have yielded dramatic improvements in TB prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and care. Yet progress in curbing new TB infections and deaths has been slower, in part because countries and communities cannot always rapidly implement research innovations. Resource constraints and technical issues in program delivery, as well as social and political contexts, can limit use. Operational research, and more broadly, implementation science, can identify gaps and provide solutions to implementation challenges by cultivating generalizable knowledge grounded in local contexts, such as how, when, and where new tools and interventions should be deployed.
SMART4TB seeks to enhance implementation and integration of novel diagnostics, treatments, and anticipated vaccines through activities within existing trials and operational research focused on key implementation priorities of Ministries of Health, National TB Programs, and research- and community-based organizations. Read more in this overview of SMART4TB’s operational research work.
