This programme has also been involved in organizing community outreach programmes. Thus far, two seminars have been conducted at the King George Hospital on informed consent, and the role and function of hospital ethics committees. Dr Singh has also been conducting a series of Provincial workshops for health workers on medico-legal aspects of HIV, particularly on issues pertaining to informed consent and confidentiality surrounding needlestick injuries. These workshops have been conducted at the following places: KwaZulu-Natal Government: Kokstad; Limpopo Province Government: Warmbaths, Louie Trichard, Tzaneen, Pietersburg/Polokwane.

In terms of research, the Bioethics Programme is involved with several collaborative projects. These include:

• a study investigating US and SA IRB members' views on HIV vaccine studies. These studies are being conducted in collaboration with researchers from Columbia University, New York.

In addition, Dr Singh is the principal investigator of a SA study investigating the medico-legal implications of using virginity-testing as a method to prevent HIV transmission in South Africa. The data for this study are being collected in a community preparedness study being conducted at Vulindlela which looks at the community perceptions about legal, ethical and social aspects of virginity testing in young girls. Another study which has been initiated explores the notion of informed consent.

Dr Singh oversees three pre-doctoral students who are currently registered at the University of KwaZulu-Natal for their PhD's. Their topics explore: (i) ownership, storage, use and export of HIV blood samples derived from research participants: legal and ethical implications; and (ii) whether the adherence to classical principlism in bioethics is a hindrance to conducting HIV/AIDS research on women in South Africa.