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I am a registered Advanced Midwifery Practitioner specializing in midwifery and women’s health and a Lecturer at the School of Nursing, Department of Midwifery, Child and Reproductive Health at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS), Tanzania. Since joining academia in 2015, I have facilitated undergraduate and postgraduate midwifery courses and have actively supervised and mentored students in research. Between 2020 and 2022, I served as Coordinator of the Multi-User Skills Laboratory under the MUHAS Directorate of Continuing Education and Professional Development, contributing to the advancement of health professional training and skills development. I have experience in sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, and adolescent health research and have participated in several national and international collaborative projects, including initiatives aimed at strengthening clinical pharmacy services in Tanzania through partnerships between MUHAS and the Christian Social Services Commission (CSSC). I am a research staff member on projects focused on strengthening healthcare providers’ capacity to address sexual and reproductive health needs, including those of people with disabilities, through collaborations between MUHAS and the University of Minnesota. I also serve as Study Coordinator for the Restoring Women’s Sexual Health (Re-WOSH) project, which focuses on training healthcare professionals to address the sexual healthcare needs of women who have undergone female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C). As a Principal Investigator, I have led research on digital innovations to improve pregnancy and childbirth outcomes in Tanzania, particularly a mobile cardiotocography (iCTG) for fetal monitoring, funded by the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED). I also received the 2023 Early Career Grant from the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (RSTMH), which supported research on sociocultural factors contributing to excessive gestational weight gain and maternal obesity in Tanzania.
My research interests focus on generating evidence to improve maternal, newborn, sexual, and reproductive health outcomes and informing policy and practice in low-resource settings. My methodological expertise spans qualitative and quantitative research, including qualitative data collection and analysis, quantitative research, mixed-methods studies, randomized controlled trials (RCTs), and implementation research. I am skilled in conducting interviews and focus group discussions; performing thematic and content analysis; conducting statistical analysis using SPSS; and leading effectiveness and implementation evaluations.
NIH-R01 Research Project Grant
Title: Evaluating the Effects of Reproductive Health Training on Provider Behavior (THP-2)
Position: Research staff
Duration: 2023-2028
NIH-R01 Research Project Grant
Title: Training Healthcare Professionals to Address Reproductive Health for Persons with Disabilities in Tanzania (Tanzabilities)
Position: Co-investigator
Duration: 2023-2028
NIH-R01 Research Project Grant
Title: Training Healthcare Professionals to Address the Healthcare Needs of Women Experienced FGM/C in Tanzania: Curriculum Build, Implementation, and Evaluation
Position: Study Coordinator and Co-investigator
Duration: 2024-2029
MUHAS Knowledge Translation Hub
Position: Technical Advisor
Duration: 2025-2028
1. Mwakawanga DL, Chen S, Patil CL, Rahman MM, Mwilike B, Massae AF, Hirose N, Kobayashi Y, Shimpuku Y. Effectiveness of a mobile cardiotocography device (iCTG) in improving antenatal care and detecting abnormal fetal heart rate during late pregnancy: an implementation study in Tanzania. BMC Public Health. 2025 Nov 26;25(1):4150. doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-25383-4. PMID: 41299386; PMCID: PMC12659349.
2. Mwakawanga DL, Mushy ES, Massae FA, Rosser B.R S, Mgopa L, Lukumay G, Mkoka D, Puchner-Hardman M, Mfinanga R, Chikwala V, Sumari E, & Lyimo A, Trent M, Ross, MW, Löfgren L, Connor J, Mark K. (2026). Challenges Faced by People with Disabilities in Accessing Contraception and Childbirth Care in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. International Journal of Sexual Health. 1-16. 10.1080/19317611.2026.2678391.
3. Mwakawanga, D.L., Chen, S., Ogata, Y., Suzuki, M., Kobayashi, Y., Toda, M., Hirose, N. and Shimpuku, Y., 2024. Barriers and facilitators of fetal heart monitoring with a mobile cardiotocograph (iCTG) device in underserved settings: An exploratory qualitative study from Tanzania. PloS one, 19(12), p.e0314812.
4. Mwakawanga, D.L., Sirili, N., Chikwala, V.Z. and Mselle, L.T., 2024. “… We never considered it important…”: a qualitative study on perceived barriers on use of non-pharmacological methods in management of labour pain by nurse-midwives in eastern Tanzania. BMC nursing, 23(1), p.514.
5. Mwakawanga DL, Chen S, Mwilike B, Lyimo AA, Hirose N, Shimpuku Y. Association between decision-making during pregnancy and woman-centred care among Tanzanian pregnant women: A cross-sectional survey. Women Birth. 2024 Apr 13;37(4):101615. doi: 10.1016/j.wombi.2024.101615.
6. Mwakawanga, D.L., Massae, A.F., Kohli, N. et al. The need for and acceptability of a curriculum to train nursing and medical students in the sexual healthcare of clients with female genital mutilation/cutting in Tanzania. BMC Women's Health 24, 198 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-024-03034-x
