Mrs Doris NANGA
About Mrs Doris NANGA
Doris Cement Nanga is a Registered Dietitian and Lecturer in Clinical Dietetics. She currently serves as Deputy Head, Programme Lead for Dietetics, and Coordinator of Postgraduate Programmes in the Department of Human Nutrition and Health. Doris teaches various undergraduate and postgraduate courses, including Principles of Dietetics; Medical Nutrition Therapy I & II; Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology; Nutrition and HIV/AIDS; and Nutrition and Diet Therapy. She holds a Master’s Degree in Dietetics from North-West University in South Africa, a Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Dietetics from LUANAR, a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nutrition and Food Science from the University of Malawi (Bunda College), and a Diploma in Clinical Medicine from the Malawi College of Health Sciences. She is one of the Malawi's top Dietitians, is among the very first Malawian trained dietitians, and served as the first President of the Association of Dietitians in Malawi. She has since developed strong leadership and collaboration skills, particularly in Clinical Nutrition and dietetics such that she has played a key role in establishing national clinical nutrition guidelines. She is actively involved in advocating for dietitian roles in government healthcare setting. Doris has contributed to the Medical Council of Malawi (MCM) in many ways including developing credentialing standards for dietetics education in Malawi; developing the scope of practice for dietitians in Malawi; reviewing dietetics curriculum submitted to the MCM; and developing the Continuous Professional Development (CPD) guidelines for professionals that are regulated by MCM. Doris collaborated with renown Dietitians from University College Dublin in Ireland and together won an award from UCD Africa Engagement Fund for the Advancing Dietetics Training in Malawi: a UCD-LUANAR Knowledge Exchange Initiative. She is currently in preparatory phase for her PhD programme in Dietetics at North-West University in South Africa. Doris aims at advancing the Dietetics Profession in Malawi and within the region.
Research Interest for: Mrs Doris NANGA
Critical Care Nutrition - Nutrition support in preterm and low birth weight infants
In the next five years I would like to concentrate on nutrition support in paediatrics specifically in children who are born before their age. Would like to explore on the establishment of breast milk banks in tertiary hospitals.
Local innovation for managing moderate and severe wasting in children under the age of five.
Wasting remains a significant public health concern, particularly in low- and middle-income countries including Malawi, where food insecurity, frequent infections, and inadequate child care practices persist. Addressing this challenge requires local innovations that are tailored to the unique socio-cultural and economic contexts of affected communities. Such innovations may include developing and utilising locally formulated therapeutic foods and integrating dietitians at every level of care to ensure effective nutritional management strategies. I am part of the LUANAR Team who are working with UNICEF on developing local food solutions to manage moderate wasting.
Micronutrient supplementation practices in relation to the World Health Organisation 2013 guidelines on management of severe acute malnutrition
Micronutrient supplementation practices in relation to the World Health Organisation 2013 guidelines on management of severe acute malnutrition. Nanga DC, Carboo JA, Chatenga H, Nienaber A, Conradie C, Lombard M, Dolman-Macleod RC. Micronutrient supplementation practices in relation to the World Health Organisation 2013 guidelines on management of severe acute malnutrition. Matern Child Nutr. 2024 Jul;20(3):e13636. doi: 10.1111/mcn.13636. Epub 2024 Mar 8. PMID: 38456385; PMCID: PMC11168367.
Dietitian involvement in Critical care setting.
At protocol stage. Dietitian involvement in critical care settings is essential for optimising patient outcomes. Clinical evidence shows that early and appropriate nutrition interventions by dietitians in intensive care units (ICUs) are associated with improved clinical outcomes, including reduced length of hospital stay, lower infection rates, preservation of lean body mass, and decreased mortality.