Malinda received a PhD from the College of Health Sciences, University of Zimbabwe (UZ). She obtained a BSc Honors degree in Nursing Science in 2006 from UZ. Soon after graduating, she joined Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals as a junior Registered General Nurse in the gynecological wards for 18 months. Because of her interest in research from her undergraduate years, she left clinical practice to join UZ-UCSF, a leading research institution in Zimbabwe specializing in HIV/AIDS and women’s health. In May 2010, Malinda re-joined clinical practice as a Senior Registered Nurse at St Anne’s Hospital, Critical Care Units. While at St Anne’s, she enrolled for a MSc degree in Nursing Science at UZ, which she completed in 2014. She then left clinical practice again, joining the Department of Psychiatry (UZ) as a Research Assistant.
Malinda’s research interests are in women’s health and mental health, particularly Maternal Mental Health. Her AMARI fellowship thesis investigates effects of antenatal depression on birth and neonatal outcomes. She is also interested in validating depression screening tools for use among women in the perinatal period in the Zimbabwean setting.