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PROFILE OF DR. KWADWO OWUSU AKUFFO

Published 24 Jan 2022 News
PROFILE OF DR. KWADWO OWUSU AKUFFO

Dr. Kwadwo Owusu Akuffo is a Senior Lecturer and Head of the Department of Optometry and Visual Science Department, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana.

Dr. Akuffo completed his Doctor of Optometry (OD) degree in 2011 at KNUST and obtained his Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in 2017 at the Nutrition Research Centre Ireland, Waterford Institute of Technology, Waterford, Ireland. His Ph.D. investigated the impact of macular carotenoid and co-antioxidant supplementation on visual function in patients with early age-related macular degeneration and was supported by the European Research Council Starter Grant 281096. He was then appointed as a Lecturer at the Department of Optometry and Visual Science (KNUST) in 2018, where he contributes to training the next generation of optometrists and vision scientists. His research focuses on ophthalmic epidemiology and ocular nutrition.

Dr. Akuffo has also been trained in retinal photograph grading at the Moorfields Eye Hospital Reading Centre, London, UK, and has been certified to grade cataracts using the Lens Opacities Classification System (LOCS) III by the Chylack Incorporated.

Dr. Akuffo has published over 35 scientific peer-reviewed articles and contributed to several conference proceedings in his research field. He is an Associate Editor for Springer Nature’s BMC Ophthalmology journal and a reviewer for several ophthalmic journals. He currently has external collaborations with the Human Sciences Research Council (South Africa) and Munich Center for Applied Vision Science (Germany).

He is a member of the Ghana Science Association (GSA), Ghana Young Academy (GhYA), Ghana Optometric Association (GOA), and the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO). He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry (AAO) and an Affiliate of the African Academy of Sciences.

In addition to his academic and research work, Dr. Akuffo is very passionate about mentorship and the career development of young people. Through his mentorship, students have won several prestigious international awards, including the Harvard Crossroads Emerging Leaders Program (CELP) Fellowship and Developing Country Eye Researcher Travel Fellowship (DCERF). Dr. Akuffo currently serves as a Board Member of the African STEM Network (Afrisnet) and Youth Arise Organization (YAO).

Congratulations to Dr. Akuffo!