University of Bern

Rukudzo Mwamuka is a Psychiatrist living and working in Zimbabwe. She holds a Bachelors in Medicine and Surgery degree, a post graduate Diploma in Mental Health and Master of Medicine Psychiatry degree, all from the University of Zimbabwe. She is currently  a doctoral fellow at the University of Bern in Switzerland funded by the Swiss National Science  Foundation and the African Mental Health Research Initiative (AMARI) II.

Her  research interests are in the areas of mood disorders, depression and community-based  interventions for common mental disorders. Dr Mwamuka has vast clinical experience providing care to patients from marginalised communities in public health institutions. Her clinical work and experience inspired her to lead the scale-up of the Friendship Bench psychological intervention for depression for her PhD project.

Her PhD research focuses on improving treatment and care for adults suffering from moderate to severe depression through exploring the feasibility and acceptability of antidepressant prescribing in primary care facilities in Zimbabwe.

Her research work is grounded in the inclusion of the voices of people with lived experience of depression through her community engagement project, “Brush Strokes of Well-Being”, where she collaborates with communities using art as a medium to facilitate dialogue.

Brush Strokes of Well-Being is a community engagement project that brings together art, science, and individuals with lived experiences of depression to explore mental health and improve treatment and care through art-based activities.

Supervisors

• Dr Monika Mueller, University of Bern (Primary supervisor)

• Prof Dixon Chibanda, University of Zimbabwe