A researcher from the North-West University (NWU) has dedicated her research to advancing perinatal mental health in Africa.

Dr Patience Kovane, senior lecturer and research coordinator at the Quality in Nursing and Midwifery (NuMIQ) research focus area in the Faculty of Health Sciences, says her mission is to promote the mental health of women, especially in low- and middle-income settings.

“Many women are unaware that they have a mental illness because people usually brush it off as perinatal blues. It is important to recognise and assess mental health illness in the perinatal period in an early stage,” she explains.

Watch the video below to learn more about her research and her impactful work.