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Dorcas Ohui Owusu

Theoretical and Applied Biology

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About

Dr. (Mrs.)Dorcas Ohui Owusu is a Senior Lecturer and biomedical scientist at KNUST with extensive experience in university teaching, infectious disease research, and laboratory science. She holds a PhD in Immunology, an MPhil in Microbiology, and a BSc in Biological Sciences (with a focus on Molecular Biology and Biotechnology), and has built a strong academic career that integrates teaching excellence with impactful research. Dr. Owusu has an extensive record of peer-reviewed publications in high-impact international journals and actively contributes to postgraduate training, mentorship, and academic service. Her work is recognised for advancing understanding of infectious disease immunopathology and for generating evidence relevant to public health policy and clinical practice in resource-limited settings. Dr. Owusu combines strong laboratory expertise with population-based and translational research, and she is actively involved in postgraduate training, mentorship, and interdisciplinary collaboration. She has received competitive research grants and international fellowships, and has participated in global research collaborations across Africa, Europe, and North America.SPECIALISATION:RESEARCH INTEREST: Dr. Owusu’s research focuses on the immunological and epidemiological aspects of infectious diseases of public health importance, particularly viral hepatitis, HIV/TB co-infections, parasitic infections, and reproductive tract infections. Her work examines host immune responses, disease pathogenesis, co-infection dynamics, and treatment outcomes. She has led and contributed to studies on molecular diagnostic tools (including PCR and LAMP assays), immune biomarkers of disease progression and protection, antimicrobial resistance, and the impact of infectious diseases on organ function. Her research also incorporates socio-behavioural perspectives to address knowledge gaps and barriers to effective disease control.Dr Owusu leads her own research and is also affiliated with the Infections and Immunology Research Group at the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research (KCCR), KNUST. She collaborates with multidisciplinary teams on nationally and internationally funded projects involving molecular diagnostics, immune profiling, and field-based studies, and supervises laboratory scientists and undergraduate and postgraduate students working in the areas of immunology, microbiology, and molecular biology.RESEARCH OUTPUT: ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4299-5870Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=j9Tb3hIAAAAJ

Research Summary

(inferred from publications by AI)

The researcher's work centers on infectious diseases management, focusing on topics such as TB, HIV/AIDS, and HCV. Their studies explore immunological aspects, including cytokine effects, immune response dynamics in patients with these diseases, and the role of public health policies in addressing their prevention and treatment.

Research Themes

All Papers

Dominant modifiable risk factors for stroke in Ghana and Nigeria (SIREN): a case-control study(2018)
Patient-level and system-level determinants of stroke fatality across 16 large hospitals in Ghana and Nigeria: a prospective cohort study(2023)
Knowledge, attitudes and practices related to stroke in Ghana and Nigeria: A SIREN call to action(2018)
Plasma Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein, Copeptin, and Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 Concentrations among West African Stroke Subjects Compared with Stroke-Free Controls(2017)
Patient- and Health Facility-Level Determinants of Stroke Fatality Across 15 Large Hospitals in Ghana & Nigeria(2022)
Unraveling the risk factors for spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage among West Africans(2020)
Biobanking in a Challenging African Environment: Unique Experience from the SIREN Project(2018)
SARS-COV-2 antibody responses to AZD1222 vaccination in West Africa(2022)
SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Responses to AZD1222 Vaccination in West Africa(2022)
High Frequency of Active HCV Infection Among Seropositive Cases in West Africa and Evidence for Multiple Transmission Pathways(2014)
Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) RNA screening and sequencing using dry plasma spots(2017)
Increased levels of circulating IL-10 in persons recovered from hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection compared with persons with active HCV infection(2020)
Next-Generation Sequencing Reveals Frequent Opportunities for Exposure to Hepatitis C Virus in Ghana(2015)
2203. Risk Factors for Hepatitis C in Western Africa: An Observational Study in a STI Clinic(2018)
Human defensins and Th-1 cytokines in hepatitis C viral infection.(2020)
P0595 : High frequency of active HCV infection among seropositives in West Africa and evidence for multiple transmission pathways(2015)
Determining virological suppression and resuppression by point-of-care viral load testing in a HIV care setting in sub-Saharan Africa(2020)
Plasma cytokine levels characterize disease pathogenesis and treatment response in tuberculosis patients(2022)
Impaired T-cell response to phytohemagglutinin (PHA) in tuberculosis patients is associated with high IL-6 plasma levels and normalizes early during anti-mycobacterial treatment(2023)
Lower IL-7 Receptor Expression of Monocytes Impairs Antimycobacterial Effector Functions in Patients with Tuberculosis(2021)
Diminished Interleukin-7 receptor expression on T-cell subsets in tuberculosis patients(2023)
Immunopathology in human pulmonary tuberculosis: Inflammatory changes in the plasma milieu and impaired host immune cell functions(2024)
Monocyte pathology in human tuberculosis is due to plasma milieu changes and aberrant <scp>STAT</scp> signalling(2023)
Differences in PPD- and mitogen-induced T-cell activation marker expression characterize immunopathology in acute tuberculosis patients(2024)
Monocyte transcriptome signatures of inflammation and enhanced neutrophil recruitment characterize immunopathology in the blood of tuberculosis patients(2024)
Author response for "Cytokine‐induced transient monocyte IL‐7Ra expression and the serum milieu in tuberculosis"(2022)
Concomitant parasite infections influence tuberculosis immunopathology and favor rapid sputum conversion of pulmonary tuberculosis patients(2024)
Knowledge, attitudes and practices of West Africans on genetic studies of stroke: Evidence from the SIREN Study(2018)
Longitudinal course of ante- and postpartum generalized anxiety symptoms and associated factors in West-African women from Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire(2016)
Tenofovir is associated with increased tubular proteinuria and asymptomatic renal tubular dysfunction in Ghana(2015)
Renal mitochondrial toxicity: effects of thymidine analogues and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate in African people with HIV(2022)
Prevalence and predictors of long-term progression of chronic kidney disease in people with HIV in Ghana from 2003–2018(2024)
Predictors of long-term progression to chronic kidney disease in HIV infection in Ghana from 2003-2018(2022)
Risk factors for stroke occurrence in a low HIV endemic West African country: A case-control study(2018)
Liver steatosis and fibrosis in people with human immunodeficiency virus in West Africa and the relationship with hepatitis B virus coinfection(2022)
SAT-334-Liver steatosis in HIV-positive patients with and without HBV coinfection accessing care in a programmatic setting in Africa(2019)
Liver Steatosis and Fibrosis in People Living With HIV in West Africa and Relationship With Highly Prevalent Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) Co-Infection(2021)
Factors associated with frequency of fruit and vegetable consumption among selected sub-Saharan African populations: evidence from the Cardiovascular H3Africa Innovation Resource Project(2024)
Asymptomatic Bacteriuria and Anti-Microbial Susceptibility Patterns among Women of Reproductive Age. A Cross-Sectional Study in Primary Care, Ghana(2018)
Common bacteria in sputum or gastric lavage of patients presenting with signs and symptoms of lower respiratory tract infections(2021)
Comparable Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in Sputum and Oropharyngeal Swab Samples of Suspected COVID-19 Patients(2022)
Diversity of Culicoides in the middle belt of Ghana with Implications on the transmission of Mansonella perstans; a molecular approach(2024)
Cytokine‐induced transient monocyte IL‐7Ra expression and the serum milieu in tuberculosis(2022)
BCG-Vaccinated Children with Contact to Tuberculosis Patients Show Delayed Conversion of Mycobacterium tuberculosis-Specific IFN-γ Release(2023)
BCG Vaccination-Associated Lower HbA1c and Increased CD25 Expression on CD8+ T Cells in Patients with Type 1 Diabetes in Ghana(2024)
Doxycycline Treatment of <i>Mansonella perstans</i>–Infected Individuals Affects Immune Cell Activation and Causes Long-term T-cell Polarization(2022)
Immune response against TB and non-tuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease(2021)
Lower Monocyte Interleukin-7 Receptor Expression Impairs Anti-Mycobacterial Effector Functions in Tuberculosis Patients(2020)
T-Cell Responses Against <i>Mycobacterium ulcerans</i> and <i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</i> Protein Extracts Identify Children With Buruli Ulcer Disease(2022)
Memory B-cells are enriched in the blood of patients with acute Buruli ulcer disease: a prospective observational study(2023)
Microbial Organisms in the Lower Respiratory Tract Associated with SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Cross-Sectional Study in Northern Ghana(2023)
Assessing the Emergency Response Capacity and Resource Availability at the Primary Healthcare Facilities of Ahafo Ano North District, Ghana(2025)

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About This Profile

This profile is generated from publicly available publication metadata and is intended for research discovery purposes. Themes, summaries, and trajectories are inferred computationally and may not capture the full scope of the lecturer's work. For authoritative information, please refer to the official KNUST profile.