Psychology Dept. Class of ’60s Scholars Speaker – Dr. Mats Målqvist, Uppsala University, Sweden

Dr. Mats Målqvist, a Medical Doctor and Professor of Global Health at Uppsala University (Sweden), will present, “Peer Support for Improved Maternal and Child Health – an Example from Eswatini,” on Tues., Nov. 30, at 4:15 p.m. in the Bronfman Auditorium at Wachenheim Science Center (NSB B11).

From 2013 – 2016, Dr. Målqvist was the Project Manager/Executive Director for Siphilile Maternal and Child Health in Eswatini (Swaziland). His research aims to evaluate the implementation of interventions for improved maternal and child health and survival, with previous projects in Vietnam and Nepal. He has a special research focus on inequity in health based on social determinants. His research is interdisciplinary, investigating drivers, mechanisms, and outcomes of societal structures. He is a STINT fellow and currently teaches PHLH 310 Equity in Health.

Siphilile Maternal and Child Health was established in Eswatini (Swaziland) in 2012 by an initiative of the Church of Sweden as a project within a program to integrate health, gender, and theology. The activities of the program build on a peer support model with “Mentor Mothers” developed by Philani Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition Project in Cape Town, South Africa. By addressing culture and gender roles, the Mentor Mothers set an example of how maternal and child health can be improved through empowerments, realizing that power lies in the powerless, and that change starts at the margin.

Dr. Målqvist is also the author of “Proud to be a Siphilile Woman! Mission from the Margins,” which is available as a Kindle edition.