Malata achieved her bachelor of science degree in nursing with distinction from the
University of Malawi in 1995. In 2018, Malata was awarded a
Doctor Honoris Causa by the
University of Oslo in Norway. Malata is former vice president of the
International Confederation of Midwives and former president of the Africa Honor Society of Nursing of Sigma Theta Tau International. She is also a member of the board of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH), Advisory Committee for the Merck for Mothers Initiative (2021), LACTATE Study Oversight Committee (2021) and the Governing Council of
Mulungushi University in Zambia (2020). Malata led the college to became a
World Health Organization collaborating centre for interprofessional education and leadership. In 2024, Malata was nominated as a candidate for the Commissioner of Education, Science and Technology and Innovation position at the
African Union Commission and was named a recipient of the 2024-2025
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Presidential Chair Award. Her research contributions have been published in journals including
Journal of Advanced Nursing,
Reproductive Health,
Health Affairs, Malawi Medical Journal, Nurse Education Today, and
International Scholarly Research Notices. == References ==