University of Cape Town

Owen Chapweteka Mwale is an MPhil fellow from Malawi funded by the African Mental Health Research Initiative (AMARI). He is currently studying towards a Master of Philosophy in Public Mental Health with the University of Cape Town. Owen holds a Masters in Business Administration (MBA): Health Care Administration, Post Graduate Diploma in Hospital Management from Hochshule Neu-Ulm (Germany), Bachelor of Science degree in Clinical Medicine (Mental Health) from Mzuzu University, St John of God College of Health Sciences (Malawi).

Owen is a health services Administrator/Manager. Currently he is working for the University of Malawi, College of Medicine as a project coordinator for Consolidating Psychiatry Capacity Development in Malawi and Zambia (CPMZ). Between 2012 and 2015 Owen worked for Zomba Mental Hospital as a Psychiatric Clinical Officer and public relations Officer. From 2015 to 2019 he worked for Ekwendeni Mission Hospital as a Principal Hospital Administrator. During the same period he also worked as an adjunct lecturer at the University of Livingstonia, Laws Campus in the department of public health where he teaches: mental health, quality health care and health services administration and health economics.

Owen’s main research interest is in quality improvement in mental health care services. His MPhil research is focusing on Exploring perceptions of care quality, and the barriers and facilitators to implementation of a quality improvement programme at Zomba Mental Hospital (ZMH), Malawi.

Supervisors:

Dr Zulfa Abrahams, University of Cape Town

A/Prof Marguerite Schneider, University of Cape Town

Dr Robert Steward, College Medicine- University of Malawi

Prof Paul Bowie, NHS Education for Scotland, UK