I am a genetic epidemiologist by training and a Senior Research Fellow at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research.
I am involved in translational research into malaria with the ultimate goal of applying genomic research output to inform malaria control and elimination.
My research focuses on how genetic diversity influences the epidemiology and pathogenicity of malaria and its implication on therapeutic and vaccination strategies as well as malaria control. I was involved in studies on molecular markers of drug resistance (chloroquine and pyremethamine/sulphadoxine (SP)), a study that informed policy change from chloroquine as first line treatment to the Arthemisinin based combination therapy in Ghana. In addition I have a keen interest in using population genetics strategies to identify genetic loci that contribute to drug resistance in P. falciparum and the development of genomic tools to characterize P. falciparum diversity in the population. I am a member of the expert working group on malaria elimination in Ghana, I am also working on a study on the Impact of Distinct Eco-epidemiology on Malaria Drug Resistance in Ghana. I am a member of the Plasmodium diversity Network Africa (PDNA), a consortium that makes use of the huge genomics data available to understand malaria parasite diversity and its effects on important phenotypes such as drug resistant parasite for malaria control.