As always, I love being back in my hometown. This time I was able to share everything spirometry related to the six-person, University of Munich (LMU) sponsored, Early Risk Assessment in TB contacts by new diagnostic tests (ERASE TB) project team in the peaceful tranquillity of the Biomedical Research Training Institute (BRTI) training centre in Harare.

In preparation for training, we wrote standard operating procedures for the spirometry procedure and data quality assurance specific to the project. We sent the educational content to the participants in advance of the face-to-face training and then met in Harare from 8 – 12th February to focus for a full week on how to deliver the best possible spirometry results for the project. This field team has a wealth of research experience, but none particularly in the area of spirometry so I will work with them throughout the project as they grow their spirometry knowledge and expertise

We learnt everything you can learn in a few short days as well as a lot to do with how to manage spirometry and spirometry data in research.

Special thanks to Katharina and Edson for all you did behind the scenes to manage the logistics and ensure we had all the equipment, disposables and everything else needed to make the training a success. Thank you to Edson, Joseph, Karlos, Eveline, Fellina and Phillip for working hard to fulfil the training requirements.

Most of all a very warm welcome to our newest member of the team, Karlos’s first baby – Kunashe. What a blessing it was for us all to welcome this gorgeous little one into the world.