SIHI Malawi at University of Malawi - Social Innovation in Health Initiative

SIHI MALAWI AT THE KAMUZU UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH SCIENCES

We envision a healthier Malawi where equitable, sustainable health systems thrive through citizen-led innovations. By bringing together researchers, students, entrepreneurs, policymakers, innovators, and communities, we aim to advance co-creation of need-based solutions that drive systemic change, ensuring effective healthcare for all.

OUR FOCUS

SIHI Malawi, launched in 2017 at the Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS, formerly the University of Malawi-College of Medicine), works to foster social innovation and entrepreneurship in health. By providing support, generating and promoting evidence, and strengthening cross-sector collaboration, we create an enabling environment for Malawians to develop and implement homegrown solutions to their health challenges.

Our focus areas are:

OUR ACTIVITIES

Innovation Identification Calls

Maternal and Child Health, 2024
In July 2024, SIHI Malawi launched a call for innovative ideas aimed at reducing maternal and neonatal mortality. This initiative was part of a collaboration between Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS) and the University of Melbourne. Through an innovation exchange program, students from both universities rapidly developed solutions, with the top five ideas advancing for further development.

Climate Change and Health, 2023
In July 2023, SIHI Hubs in Malawi and Rwanda jointly hosted a call for solutions to mitigate the health impacts of climate change. Among the four shortlisted innovations, SIHI Malawi highlighted a social innovation by St. John College of Health Sciences. Their solution focused on improving access to psychosocial support for flood victims through tele-counselling, addressing a critical need in disaster-affected communities

Innovation Learning Sessions

On 27th March 2025, SIHI Malawi partnered with the Department of Research and Innovation to host a hybrid Innovation learning session at Kamuzu University of Health Sciences. The event featured innovative project presentations led by students and faculty from the University of Melbourne, including a showcase of an active syphilis test being developed through their collaborative Impact Health Catalyst program. The session attracted current students and recent graduates of KUHeS who presented various health innovations, as well a presentation on Social Innovations in Health in Malawi. This session aimed to strengthen research collaboration between the two institutions while highlighting practical innovations to health challenges.

Partnership Building

To extend and strengthen community based social innovation in health in Southern and Eastern Africa, we established a strategic and learning partnership with the University of Rwanda in May 2020. The partnership seeks to advance research, deliver appropriate education, application and uptake of social innovation in health to contribute to primary health care and the achievement of universal health coverage (UHC). With Malawi, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences as the lead implementing partner and by working in collaboration and sharing learnings across southern and east African regions, this partnership will result in two functional African centres of excellence for social innovation in health research.

The Malawi-Rwanda partnership provides a learning exchange between the two institutions on social innovation in health through knowledge and skill transfer, and developing a joint research project to better understand the process of social innovation adoption into the public health system across two regions, identifying social innovations in each country, and engaging students from each institution to build local and national capacity for social innovation

Case study research

The research process on the selected solutions from innovation calls is ongoing, including conducting site visits and data collection. See https://socialinnovationinhealth.org/innovations-from-africa

SIHI Malawi Report

The 2017-2019 report illustrates Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (formerly University of Malawi College of Medicine) SIHI Malawi’s commitment to advancing excellence in education, research, and service delivery. To view the whole report, view here.

OUR EVENTS

Building Change-makers: Short Course on Social Innovation

From October 28 to November 1, 2024, SIHI Malawi held a short course on Social Innovation in Health for mid-level health professionals in Mzuzu and Lilongwe. The course emphasized on applications of social innovation in strengthening the health system using practical examples from Malawi. The Key sessions covered Social Innovation, Creativity and Design Thinking, Community Engagement, and Entrepreneurship and Scale. Participants included Heads of Departments and clinicians from Mzuzu Central Hospital, alongside the Lilongwe District Health Management Team, led by the Director of Social Sciences and health facility leads. UNIPOD at the Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences, Emerge Livelihoods, United Development Programme (UNDP) and St John College of Health Sciences contributed to the course as facilitators and speakers.

Conference Presentations

The Malawi Hub successfully presented a poster on Social Innovation in Health at the 3rd KUHeS Research Dissemination Conference (October 2–4, 2024, Amaryllis Hotel, Blantyre). The conference, themed “Research and Innovation: Driving Health Towards MW2063,” brought together researchers, health professionals, and policymakers to discuss translating research into impact with innovation as a key driver for Malawi’s self-reliance by 2063.

Social Innovation Knowledge Exchange Platform

In September 2024, SIHI Malawi and Rwanda jointly launched a monthly webinar series – Let’s Talk Social Innovation in Health (LTSIH). This webinar serves as a knowledge exchange platform for innovators, researchers, students, and diverse audiences to learn from experts across health and innovation fields while fostering collaboration. The free 10-part webinar series runs monthly on the last Thursday of each month.

Social innovations in health in Malawi

Chipatala Cha Pa Foni: Health Centre by Phone

Kaundu Community-Based Health Insurance (CBHI)

Learner Treatment Kit

Managed Surgical Network through WhatsApp Group Forum Group

Mother’s Fun Run

Online Clinic Yathu (OCLIYA)

Sustainable Integrated Rural Healthcare Model, Child Legacy International

Telecounselling

ABOUT US

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Don is the SIHI Malawi Director and a medical doctor and epidemiologist with broad research interests in infectious diseases. He is a Professor of Public Health at Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (formerly the College of Medicine, University of Malawi) and as Director of the Malaria Alert Centre, a regional hub specializing in research-driven capacity-building for scaling up effective health interventions.

His public health career began as a District Health Officer in Malawi. Over the past 25 years, his research has focused on optimizing strategies to reduce childhood morbidity and mortality. A recipient of the 2012 Kenneth Warren Prize, he is an accomplished Cochrane Review author and has mentored African researchers in systematic reviews through the South African Cochrane Centre.

Due to his expertise in evidence-based healthcare, Don has contributed to several WHO technical groups, including the IPTp and LLINs Evidence Review Groups and the Monitoring and Evaluation Review Group (MERG). He has also served as an expert on the Global Fund Technical Review Panel.

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Andrew is the SIHI Malawi Coordinator leading the coordination and implementation of the hubs activities. He is a dedicated public health professional with a strong background in Medical Anthropology and a passion for community-centered health solutions. With over seven years’ experience, Andrew has contributed to impactful research projects, from malaria vaccine feasibility studies that have led to global malaria vaccine role out, to reduction of child mortality from innovative methods of ascertaining cause of deaths in infants. His work has been published in peer-reviewed journals (PLOS ONE, BMJ Open) and has informed global health policies.

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Chikondi is the SIHI Malawi Administrator working to ensuring smooth operations and strategic management of all hub efforts. With a strong background in business administration and organization management, she brings over 10 years of experience in administration.

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Bertha Magreta Chakhame is SIHI Champion and a dedicated lecturer at Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, specializing in maternal and neonatal health. With a PhD in Medicine and Health Sciences and over 26 years of experience, including 20 years in teaching and 6 years in bedside nursing, she is committed to training skilled midwives and neonatal nurses through a blend of theory, clinical practice, and research. As a Social Innovation in Health Initiative (SIHI) fellow, she is keen on integrating Social Innovation approaches into healthcare education. Her extensive qualifications include a Master of Science in Midwifery, a BSc in Community Health Nursing, and a Diploma in Nursing and Midwifery.

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Gaily Lungu is a SIH Champion in Malawi and a lecturer at the Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS) in the School of Maternal, Neonatal, and Reproductive Health. She holds a Master of Science degree in Midwifery and has 19 years of experience as a registered nurse-midwife, including 8 years as an advanced practitioner. Gaily has a deep passion for improving maternal, neonatal, and reproductive health outcomes.

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Caroline is a SIH Champion in Malawi, supporting the hub through advocacy efforts and promotion of SI approaches. As a Senior Lecturer at Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS), Caroline brings extensive experience in training nurses and health professionals. She holds a PhD in Interprofessional Health Care Leadership and is passionate about integrating social innovation into healthcare education.