Dr. Kwadwo Owusu Akuffo, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Optometry and Visual Science at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, has been selected as a visiting fellow for the prestigious Africa Oxford Initiative (AfOx) Visiting Fellowship Programme. AfOx is a cross-university platform which aims to facilitate equitable research collaborations between researchers based in African institutions and researchers based at the University of Oxford.
The AfOx Visiting Fellowship Programme is designed to allow exceptional African researchers build international networks and focus on a project of their choice in collaboration with Oxford-based scholars. The Programme enables research leaders from institutions across Africa to make significant contributions to Oxford while simultaneously gaining opportunities to engage with the range of knowledge and expertise in the University.
AfOx Fellows have developed long-term partnerships with colleagues in Oxford, leading to significant research outcomes, joint publications, and substantial funding. This year-long fellowship attracts leading researchers from various disciplines to work across four thematic areas namely, Healthy People, Innovation for Prosperity, Integrated Societies, and Green Futures.
Dr. Akuffo’s research interests include ocular nutrition, ophthalmic epidemiology, low vision, and environmental vision. With a PhD in Vision Science from Waterford Institute of Technology, Ireland, his work has earned him numerous awards, including the George Britton Early Investigator of the Year Award at the Brain and Ocular Nutrition Conference. He has co-led multiple international research projects, such as the Low Vision Project in Ghana, funded by the Else Kröner-Fresenius Foundation. Dr. Akuffo has authored over 40 publications and serves as an Associate Editor for BMC Ophthalmology, demonstrating his commitment to advancing eye health.
During his fellowship at Oxford, Dr. Akuffo will collaborate with Professor Naomi Allen at the Clinical Trial Service Unit and Epidemiological Studies Unit, Nuffield Department of Population Health on his project titled “Socioeconomic Status and Eye Disease: An Analysis Using UK Biobank Data.” This study seeks to explore how socioeconomic factors influence eye diseases like cataracts, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy, particularly in relation to genetic predispositions. His research aims to provide evidence that could inform policies addressing health disparities, ultimately improving eye health outcomes for vulnerable communities in Ghana and beyond.
Management of KNUST celebrates with Dr. Akuffo on this achievement and wishes him success in his fellowship.
