Bio on Dr. Jean Ann Makena Marangu

Renowned physician and surgeon, J.A. Makena Marangu, M.D. was on the cutting-edge of Age Management medicine long before the topic gained popularity and is now considered one of the foremost authorities in the field particularly in the area of Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement. Dr. Marangu believed in the whole body approach to age management ― that in order to attain a youthful appearance, one must also attain good health. She was dedicated to educating the public about the latest advances in cosmetic procedures, healthcare, nutrition, wellness, and BioIdentical Hormone Replacement Therapy.

A Kenyan by birth, Jean Ann Makena Marangu graduated college Magna Cum Laude from Olivet Nazarene University in Kankakee, Illinois in 1980. She performed Graduate Studies in Physiology at Howard University in Washington, D.C., was an Honor Fellow in International Development at American University in Washington, D.C., and received her M.D. degree from the Medical College of Virginia in 1987.

Dr. Marangu completed a five year General Trauma and Surgery Residency at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, a Hand Surgery Fellowship with the Joseph H. Boyes Foundation at the University of Southern California, a Plastic Surgery Residency at the University of California in Irvine, and has also completed extensive training in Age Management medicine including Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy.

In 1996, Dr. Marangu started in private practice in San Juan Capistrano, California where she was dedicated to educating her patients in Age Management, Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy, wellness, nutrition, and cosmetic procedures. Dr. Marangu’s extensive education and subsequent cosmetic surgery practice piqued her interest in Age Management Medicine. Her expertise was not limited to medical procedures, but also the roles that nutrition and lifestyle play in the process. In response to her patients’ needs for scientifically based skin are, Dr. Marangu founded MakenaWerks in 1999. She solicited the assistance of a leading dermatologist to devise skin care formulations that are the latest in cosmeceutical products.

Dr. Marangu was Board Certified by the American Board of Anti-Aging Medicine. She was a member of the California Medical Association, the Orange County Medical Association, the Mission Hospital Foundation – “Founders Lifetime Benefactor”, American Society of Laser Medicine and Surgery, Inc. “Fellow”, the North American Academy of Cosmetic and Restorative Surgery, the International Hormone Society, and the American Academy of AntiAging Medicine. She was an Examiner for the American Board of Anti-Aging Medicine.

A well-known philanthropist, Dr. Marangu was president and cofounder, along with famed anthropologist, Dr. Richard Leakey, of SADIA, an organization dedicated to addressing the needs of children dying each day from untreated surgical conditions such as appendicitis, burns, and traumatic injury caused by the overwhelming void of neurosurgeons, pediatric and plastic surgeons in Sub-Saharan Africa. Dr. Marangu is credited with having achieved the impossible
for African children by her gathering together physicians and laypersons to give surgical training and on-site care.

In 1993 Dr. Marangu received the F. Edward Johnson Award for Outstanding Achievement in Service to Children by the Advisory Council of the African Development Foundation and the National Museum of African Art, a division of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. The award was presented to Dr. Marangu by Senator Claiborne Pell on behalf of First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Dr. Marangu was the stimulus behind and co-founder of ANSWER AFRICA. ANSWER AFRICA is a 501(C)(3) humanitarian organization committed to providing Africa with critical health interventions. They are currently focused on fighting malaria through the distribution of insecticide treated mosquito nets, one community at a time. Dr. Marangu had witnessed malaria’s terrible effects and her background has enabled ANSWER AFRICA to develop an
infrastructure that insures the cost-effective delivery of mosquito nets even to the most remote, hard-to-reach rural areas. ANSWER AFRICA’s Nets for Life program is COMMITTED TO MAKING MALARIA HISTORY. Each life-saving net costs about $5 (USD), over 200,000 nets have been delivered to date, and there are NO ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS. 100% of every dollar donated went to the purchase of the nets. Dr. Marangu worked with other notable and
global charitable figures to make this commitment a reality until she passed away on September 20, 2015.

Dr. Marangu co-authored the book Face to Face and was a frequent guest on Christian radio and television.