Affiliateship: 2019-2023
Cohort 4
Country (Nationality)
Zimbabwe
Discipline
Medical & Health Sciences
Bio
Dr. Prestige Tatenda Makanga is an applied geo-information scientist with a primary interest in global health. He holds a Ph.D. in Geography (GISc) from Simon Fraser University in Canada, an MSc Eng. in Geomatics from the University of Cape Town and a BSc (Hons) in Surveying and Geomatics from the Midlands State University in Zimbabwe. He teaches geographical information systems (GIS) and Spatial epidemiology at Midlands State University in Zimbabwe and co-leads 3 projects, including Mapping Outcomes for Mothers (MOM), RoadMApp and the health geography component of the PREgnancy Care Integrating translational Science Everywhere (PRECISE) network. His work primarily utilizes geographic methods to elucidate risk and resilience factors associated with maternal outcomes. MOM has developed new techniques for modelling the seasonal variation in geographical access to maternal care, and evidence for some of the place-specific factors that elevate risk for adverse maternal events. RoadMApp facilitates access to pregnancy-related care and is built upon a novel spatiotemporal model of access to maternal health care. RoadMApp accounts for road and weather conditions in near-real time and links women to local transport resources to facilitate their transit to maternal care. Within PRECISE Tatenda explores geographical influences on placental disorders including High blood pressure in pregnancy, fetal growth restriction and stillbirths. He is also an active member of the USAID’s steering committee on mapping and reporting maternal deaths, where he is contributing to new policy directions concerning the use of geographical information systems in mapping maternal health trends to better target interventions.