Accessible Neuroimaging for Equitable Brain Development Research and Clinical Applications in Sub-Saharan Africa

Join the MSU Global Health Institute, MSU Department of Phyciatry and MSU African Studies Center for Accessible Neuroimaging for Equitable Brain Development Research and Clinical Applications in Sub-Saharan Africa by Maclean Vokhiwa.

About the Talk

Early experiences, from a mother’s nutrition and health during pregnancy to common infections, can shape how a child’s brain develops. Yet in many parts of sub‑Saharan Africa, it has been difficult to study early brain development because MRI technology is limited.

This presentation led by Maclean Vokhiwa introduces a new approach that brings portable, low‑cost MRI scanners directly into long‑term child health studies in Malawi. More than 650 infant scans have already shown that this technology works safely with awake babies and can provide valuable information for both research and clinical care.

By making brain imaging more accessible, this work opens the door to better understanding how early-life conditions affect development, and how nutrition programs and other interventions might improve outcomes for children in underserved communities.

About the Speaker

Maclean Vokhiwa is an ALMA PhD Fellow in developmental neuroscience, based at the Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (Malawi), focused on equitable measurement of early brain development using accessible ultra-low-field MRI. He oversees mobile 64 mT neuroimaging research and clinical applications in southern Malawi within the UNITY initiative and has contributed to multidisciplinary studies of nutrition- and infectious disease–related developmental risk. Currently in Kenya, he is advancing PhD dissemination through peer-reviewed publications and low-field MRI presentations while engaging in south–south and south–north knowledge exchange and collaborations. His work supports integration of scalable neuroimaging into research and clinical programmes to strengthen brain-based evidence for child health policy in sub-Saharan Africa.