Sylvia Agyekum

Faculty Biography

Dr Sylvia Agyekum is an Optometrist and a Lecturer in the Department of Optometry and Visual Science, College of Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana. She serves as Research Manager for the HM KNUST Low Vision Project, where she coordinates research activities, while mentoring undergraduate and postgraduate research students.Dr Agyekum obtained her Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in 2023 from The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), Hong Kong SAR, China. Her doctoral research focused on the sustainability of  myopia progression interventions in children, through a cost-effectiveness analysis, addressing the economic and clinical implications of various management strategies. She holds a Doctor of Optometry (OD) degree from KNUST (2018), where she completed a thesis on low vision service delivery by optometrists in Ghana.Her research interests include myopia, children’s eye health, ocular epidemiology, low vision, ocular imaging, and health economic evaluations. Dr Agyekum has presented her work at major international conferences such as the World Ophthalmology Congress and ARVO.Dr. Agyekum has received some international recognitions, including the UNESCO-TWAS Seed Grant for New African Principal Investigators, the Nkabom Grant from the French Embassy in Ghana, and the AREF Women in Research Grant Writing Award. She is also a recipient of the ARVO Travel Grant and multiple CUHK research studentships.Dr Agyekum serves as the Vice Coordinator and Research Lead of the Women in Vision Network, Ghana, where she mentors emerging female scientists and facilitates research partnerships. She is a member of the Ghana Optometric Association (GOA).Her work continues to contribute to improving eye health policy, low vision rehabilitation, and children eye care in Ghana and beyond.