with Dr. Tatenda Mbanje
Cassandra (Tatenda) Mbanje completed her Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of Surgery (MBBCh) Degree at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in 2021. It was there that she discovered her passion for improving access to healthcare, especially surgical, obstetric, trauma and anaesthesia (SOTA) care, for hard-to-reach populations globally. Since completing her undergraduate studies, Dr. Mbanje has worked as an associate researcher for a leading breast surgery unit in Johannesburg as well as for the Wits Health Consortium Health Economics and Epidemiology Office (HE2RO). As a result, she has published scientific papers in the areas of breast cancer and tuberculosis, respectively. She also has experience in business development, working as a grant writer and public health consultant who has supported proposal development for PEPFAR-funded non-profit organisations.
In 2024, Dr. Mbanje was 1 of 16 young professionals, worldwide, who was selected as a G4 Alliance Fellow in the 2024/25 cohort. She was also awarded a full scholarship by the Nuffield Department of Population Health (NDPH) to undertake a master’s in science degree in Global Health Science and Epidemiology at the University of Oxford. Whilst at Oxford, she has keenly explored health economics, genetic epidemiology, and entrepreneurship – the latter as part of the OX1 Incubator.
Further, having served as the President of the International Association of Student Surgical Societies (IASSS) in 2024, she now serves on the IASSS Board as the Immediate Past President. She is also a member of the Innovations in Global Surgery group, committed to making surgery safe, affordable and available to all through contextual innovations.
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