Dr Marlen Stacey Chawani is a health systems and policy researcher and a founding member of the Policy Unit at the Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Research Programme (MLW), where she leads the Lilongwe Policy Unit team. She has over 20 years of experience in the health sector in Malawi, spanning roles in health information systems, with broader experience in digital health, and more recently, evidence-informed decision-making.

Her work focuses on strengthening health systems through improved generation, quality, and use of data for policy and practice, with a particular interest in how routine data and research can be better integrated into decision-making. She began her career in health information systems and digital health, contributing to the design and implementation of national data systems, with a focus on improving service delivery. Since 2018, her work has increasingly focused on evidence-to-policy processes, including supporting institutional approaches to policy engagement and strengthening the use of research and data in decision-making.

Dr Chawani works closely with government stakeholders to strengthen the use of evidence in policymaking, while also supporting the alignment of research with policy priorities. Her work focuses on fostering linkages between researchers and policymakers, promoting demand-responsive evidence generation, and contributing to more systematic and institutionalized approaches to evidence use in decision-making.

She holds a PhD and MSc in Information Systems from the University of Oslo, and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Malawi.