Thandi Magwai
Public Health Professional
Cape Town
Summary
Public health research professional with experience coordinating research and implementation projects, supporting grant-funded initiatives, and working across multidisciplinary teams. Skilled in monitoring project deliverables, stakeholder engagement, and research administration, with strengths in data-informed reporting and programme implementation. Proven ability to translate evidence into actionable insights to support public health decision-making.
Overview
8
8
years of professional experience
Work History
Project Manager
Four Minute Medicine
01.2024 - 01.2025
- Led project-wide coordination across multidisciplinary teams, managing timelines, workflows, stakeholder communication, and progress reporting to strengthen operational efficiency and resource planning.
- Coordinated grant applications for digital-health funding opportunity.
- Initiated and facilitated a distribution partnership with the World Continuing Education Alliance (WCEA), enabling scalable delivery of digital health courses to low- and middle-income countries.
- Streamlined the reviewer workflow by recruiting, onboarding, and supporting 25+ clinical reviewers, resolving a long-standing bottleneck and improving content production capacity.
- Led a marketing and outreach campaign that generated a waitlist of over 1,000 subscribers, driving early product traction and increasing brand visibility.
Instructional Designer
Laragh Courseware
01.2021 - 01.2024
- Designed and produced 20+ online courses, 25+ multimedia learning videos, and 50+ white papers and training resources in collaboration with various stakeholders including subject-matter experts, ensuring strong alignment with learning objectives and assessment standards.
- Trained and mentored junior instructional staff on course design processes, multimedia development, and quality assurance procedures.
Research & Evidence Synthesis Consultant
Independent consulting
01.2020 - 01.2022
- Led quantitative public health research and produced 10+ high-quality literature reviews across diverse clinical fields, including dentistry, podiatry, and respiratory health, to inform product feasibility and strategic development for Radic8.
- Synthesised findings to inform data-driven decision-making for product development and implementation strategies.
- Recognized for consistently superior review quality, resulting in being selected as the sole consultant retained to complete literature review work from a pool of several researchers.
Data Analyst Intern
Cognician Software
01.2020 - 01.2021
- Analysed operational and customer datasets to identify patterns, evaluate program performance, and inform decision-making across the organisation.
- Produced statistical and analytical reports to inform operational improvements.
Guest English Teacher
Daegu Metropolitan Office of Education
01.2019 - 01.2020
- Taught English as a foreign language to non-native middle school students with an emphasis on conversational English.
Medical Scientist (UCHOOS Clinical Trial) & Laboratory Demonstrator
University of Cape Town
01.2017 - 01.2018
- Coordinated study documentation, timelines, and team communication to support protocol adherence.
- Collaborated with a multidisciplinary team to ensure adherence to study standards, timelines, and high-quality data capture.
- Trained and supervised students in study protocols, research documentation procedures, and laboratory techniques.
Education
Master of Public Health - Epidemiology and Biostatistics
University of Cape Town
Cape Town, South Africa01.2024
Master of Science in Medicine - Medical Virology
01.2018
Bachelor of Science in Medicine - Honours in Infectious Diseases and Immunology
01.2016
Bachelor of Science - Molecular Genetics and Human Physiology & Anatomy
01.2015
Skills
Research and Study Coordination Communication and Knowledge Translation Project and Implementation Coordination
Monitoring and Evaluation & Data Use
Project tracking and monitoring
Data cleaning, validation & reporting (R, Excel, GraphPad Prism)
Data visualisation & dashboards
Routine data quality assurance
REDCap familiarity
Protocol implementation & study documentation
Research and thesis writing
Research reporting
Stakeholder engagement
Training & capacity building
Presentation to multidisciplinary teams
Ethics compliance & SOP development
Progress & monitoring reports
Stakeholder coordination
Cross-functional team coordination
Timeline & resource management
Implementation support for digital health programmes
Project tools: ClickUp, Asana, Jira, Gantt charts
Timeline
Project Manager
Four Minute Medicine
01.2024 - 01.2025
Instructional Designer
Laragh Courseware
01.2021 - 01.2024
Research & Evidence Synthesis Consultant
Independent consulting
01.2020 - 01.2022
Data Analyst Intern
Cognician Software
01.2020 - 01.2021
Guest English Teacher
Daegu Metropolitan Office of Education
01.2019 - 01.2020
Medical Scientist (UCHOOS Clinical Trial) & Laboratory Demonstrator
University of Cape Town
01.2017 - 01.2018
Master of Science in Medicine - Medical Virology
Bachelor of Science in Medicine - Honours in Infectious Diseases and Immunology
Bachelor of Science - Molecular Genetics and Human Physiology & Anatomy
Master of Public Health - Epidemiology and Biostatistics
University of Cape Town
References
- Phinda, Njisane, Dr, phinda@fourminutemedicine.com, 072 620 9954
- Valerie, Masete, Dr, Valerie.masete@charite.de, +49 176 42754325
Research Projects & Academic Work
- MSc (Med) thesis: Isolation and characterization of bacteriophages targeting uropathogenic E.coli
- MPH protocol: Dolutegravir-based anti-retroviral therapy and the risk of gestational hypertension: A comparative cohort study in the Western Cape, South Africa
- MPH Thesis: Awareness of colorectal cancer risk factors, symptoms and lay beliefs amongst individuals recently diagnosed with colorectal cancer in South Africa and Zimbabwe
Digital Health / Public Health Communication
YouTube Channel: Public Health with Thandi
Link: https://www.youtube.com/@HealthwithThandi
Public health communication platform translating complex health and biomedical topics into accessible, evidence-based content for the public and health stakeholders in South Africa. Covers infectious diseases, sexual health, and health systems topics, with additional interviews with healthcare professionals.