Prof. Ofori-Acquah heads Sickle Cell Foundation
The Sickle Cell Foundation of Ghana (SCFG) has appointed Professor Solomon Fiifi Ofori-Acquah as its new President with immediate effect.
He succeeds the founding president of the foundation, Prof. Kwaku Ohene-Frempong, who passed away last May.
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Prof. Ofori-Acquah has several years of experience in translational basic and clinical research in sickle cell disease (SCD).
In his new role, he will provide overall executive leadership at the SCFG.
The Sickle Cell Foundation, Ghana
The Sickle Cell Foundation of Ghana is a non-governmental organisation with the mission to support the development of resources and services to improve the health and quality of life of people with SCD and related conditions. The organisation serves as an agency of the Ministry of Health (MoH), and as Programme
Managers of National Newborn Screening Programme for SCD.
In addition, the SCFG, the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service are members of the Ghana-Novartis Public-Private Partnership in Sickle Cell Disease.
Appreciation
Accepting his new role, Prof. Ofori-Acquah said though it was a great responsibility, it was an honour to continue the strides made by his successor.
Interacting with the board members and staff of the Foundation, he shared some of his experiences working alongside Prof. Ohene-Frempong for nearly 30 years.
“I am honoured to continue and grow the work started by my friend and mentor and excited about our mission to support the development of resources and services to help improve the health and quality of life of people with SCD and related conditions.
“I am grateful to the Board and the dedication of the whole team at SCFG. Together, I believe, we will continue to advocate for quality health care and a supporting society for persons living with SCD in Ghana, and to bring transformative treatments to combat SCD in this country,” the new President of the SCFG said.
Profile
Prof. Ofori-Acquah is a globally renowned academician and researcher and a professor of Medical Laboratory Science and Associate Professor of Medicine and Human Genetics.
He is the outgoing Dean of the School of Biomedical and Allied Health Sciences in the University of Ghana.
He recently won a $3 million research grant to sequence the whole genome DNA of children with SCD in Ghana, which he has parlayed to launch the Gh-Genome Project.
Prof. Ofori-Acquah has served on multiple national and international scientific and technical committees. He was a member of the National Technical Advisory Committee for Newborn Screening, and more recently the African Health Diagnostic Platform (AHDP) Technical Committees, both under the Ghana Ministry of Health (MoH).
He recently represented Africa at a high-level retreat held in the United States (US) to develop strategies for gene-based cures for HIV and SCD.
He has served on the review committees for many funding agencies, including the National Institute of Health, Wellcome Trust, American Society of Haematology and the American Heart Association.
He is also the Founding Director of the West African Genetic Medicine Centre (WAGMC), the Programme Director of the Sickle Cell Genomics of Africa (SickleGenAfrica) Network, and Director of the Ghanaian Genome (Gh-Genome) Project.
His research interests are in the molecular pathogenesis, genetics and innovative therapy of acute complications of SCD.
Education
A native of Cape Coast and an alumnus of Adisadel College, he holds a PhD in Molecular Genetics and an MSc in Bio-molecular Organisation from the University of London, Fellowship of the Institute of Biomedical Science in the UK, and an Executive Leadership Certificate from Emory University, Atlanta, USA.