Mr. Patrick Kwasi Owiafe is a Lecturer and the Acting Head of the Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, School of Allied Health Sciences, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho in Ghana. Prior to this, he was a Higher Scientific Officer and Analytical Project Manager at the TB Immunology Unit, Vaccines and Immunity Department of the Medical Research Council (UK) in The Gambia. He is a Medical Laboratory Scientist.
Education
He had his Medical Laboratory Science education at the School of Medical Laboratory Technology, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital and pursued a Higher Diploma in Microbiology with the Institute of Science Technology, UK in conjunction with the University of Ghana, Legon. He further pursued a Master of Science in Immunology and Immunogenetics at the University of Manchester, UK.
Work Experience
Mr. Owiafe worked for three (3) years with Health Laboratory Services of the Ministry of Health, Ghana and later joined the Department of Microbiology of the University of Ghana Medical School, Korle-Bu for fourteen (14) years contributing his quota in the training of doctors and medical laboratory scientists. He later joined the TB Immnunology unit of the Medical Research Council (UK) in The Gambia as a Scientific Officer, later as a Higher Scientific Officer and technical head for fourteen (14) years and was involved in major TB and Pneumococcal research projects.
Research Interest/Output
Mr. Owiafe’s research interest is infectious diseases, vaccines and immunity, TB immunology (TB case contact cohort studies) and biomarkers for point-of care diagnosis. He was involved in novel TB and Pneumococcal vaccine trials in The Gambia, especially the much publicised but failed MVA85A TB vaccine. Other research interests are making diagnosis of prostate cancer simpler by the use of serum and urine biomarkers, MRSA surveillance in major Hospitals in the Volta Region, Ghana, parasitic infections among children under 5yrs and pregnant women including mycoses. He has about nineteen (19) publications in peer-reviewed journals. He is a member of the Ghana Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists and Federation of African Immunologists (FAIS).
