Favourite quote: “Being the first making history is gratifying, what really matters is not to be first through the door. What matters is to hold the door open for those behind us and create other avenues for self-actualization for many more”. Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang, First Female Vice Chancellor in Ghana (University of Cape Coast, 2008-2012), Vice President – Republic of Ghana.

My motivation to begin a PhD started with an encounter with a colleague (then a doctoral nursing student of UKZN) an assistant lecturer from the University of Ghana, Accra when we were both on a national assignment by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Ghana. She would share her experiences at UKZN and her doctoral journey. I held a specialist diploma in maternal mental health and saw there was a significant gap in literature and thought entering into doctoral research could help address these gaps.

My thesis is titled “Development of a care pathway for the management of common mental health disorders during pregnancy in selected primary health care settings in Ghana”.

The doctoral study found that, in Ghana and other LMICs antenatal clinics are characterised by high patient volumes, severe time constraints and overburdened staff making the addition of standalone mental assessment impractical. The study therefore addressed the important challenge of common mental disorders among pregnant women in Ghana. Using a sequential explanatory mixed-methods approach, the research informed the development of the MatCap a clinical care pathway for use in primary antenatal care settings The MatCap is meant to be low tech and integrative to ensure sustainability. The pathway supports early identification of mental health risks and provides a structured, multidisciplinary and integrated approach to improving the care of pregnant women experiencing common mental disorders. A need for an integration of mental health screening within routine antenatal care provision. Empathy and mental health literacy campaign for pregnant women and families.

For my plans for the future, I have learnt a great deal about conceptualizing and conducting research projects so I am inspired to motivate and train more nurse and midwife researchers in the academia. I want to find myself as a top researcher in my area of expertise in the next five years. I also aim to inspire the younger generations especially the girl child anywhere that she too can.

Date of graduation: 15th September, 2026.