Protected writing time drives new manuscript output for SOFAR researchers

With support from the  Global Health European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership 3 (Global Health EDCTP3, SOFAR Scientific Leadership Lead Dr. Constance Mackworth-Young and Mentorship Lead Dr. Rudo Chingono, joined by PhD Fellow Rumbi Gumbie, participated in dedicated writing retreats. The first retreat took place during the week of 29 September 2025 at Miombo Mountain Lodge, providing a focused environment for deep thinking, writing, and scholarly collaboration. The second retreat was conducted from home during the week of 5 January 2026, enabling sustained concentration and completion of the manuscript.

Protected time is critically important for researchers, who often balance demanding schedules including fieldwork, teaching, clinical responsibilities, administration, and mentorship. Dedicated writing periods allow researchers to engage in rigorous analysis, strengthen manuscripts, and accelerate dissemination of evidence that can inform policy and practice. In global health research, timely publication ensures that findings contribute meaningfully to improved health outcomes.

The resulting paper, “𝘐 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘯-𝘫𝘶𝘥𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘐 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴”: 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴’ 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘫𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘧𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴, will be submitted in the coming weeks