Alex Kwame Owusu-Ofori
The researcher's work focuses primarily on several key areas within public health and infectious diseases. These include antibiotic resistance and antimicrobial stewardship across diverse settings such as African hospitals, with a particular emphasis on understanding the mechanisms of resistance acquisition and evaluating the effectiveness of antibiotic use. The researcher also investigates transfusion-transmitted infections like malaria and sepsis, employing various diagnostic tools to assess infection severity and patient outcomes. Their studies cover a wide range of topics within this domain, from identifying bacterial agents responsible for infections to improving the accuracy of rapid diagnostic tests. Additionally, the researcher examines Salmonella and Campylobacter infections, focusing on molecular characterization and their impact on human health. The research also delves into global challenges related to maternal and child health, including blood donation practices and infection control measures, aiming to enhance safety and efficiency in healthcare settings. The work highlights the importance of understanding antimicrobial resistance as a global threat and evaluates interventions for reducing hospitalization rates associated with these issues.
Faculty Biography
I currently spend my time in academia lecturing clinical microbiology to a wide range of students including Medical, Nursing, Midwifery, Medical Imaging, Medical Laboaratory and Physician assistant students. I have been supervising undergraduate and post graduates, including masters and PhD students. The core areas that I worked in with my recent PhD and masters students include Nasopharyngeal carriage of Streptococcus pneumoniae in the community and among sickle cell patients attending their clinic and Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus where I evaluated carriage rates among healthworkers and patients and the disease burden of MRSA. Epidemiology of Extended spectrum beta lactamase (ESBL) producing Gram negative organisms is another area that I have worked diligently over the past few years.In the hospital, I lead the Infection Prevention and Control Committee and run the the clinical microbiology laboratory of the 2nd biggest teaching hospital in Ghana. The lab is responsible for bacteriological cultures of all body fluids including blood, urine, CSF etc. In a currently on-going observational sepsis study in KATH, I serve as the co-investigator.I am interested in transfusion-transmitted infections as a component of infections that patients acquired in hospitals. I pursued a PhD on transfusion-transmitted infections with a focus on malaria, syphilis and other bacteria. Subsequently I have remained active in the area of improving blood safety. My work demonstrated the transmissibility of infections and as a follow up to my research activities; our research team partnered a private company and our collaborator from University of Cambridge to successfully evaluate pathogen reduction technology in whole blood.
Antibiotic Resistance in Bacteria
Antibiotic Use and Resistance
Antimicrobial Resistance in Staphylococcus
Bacterial Identification and Susceptibility Testing
Bacterial Infections and Vaccines
Blood donation and transfusion practices
Burkholderia infections and melioidosis
Fungal Infections and Studies
Global Maternal and Child Health
Hemoglobinopathies and Related Disorders
Hepatitis B Virus Studies
Hepatitis C virus research
Hermeneutics and Narrative Identity
Infection Control in Healthcare
Liver Disease and Transplantation
Malaria Research and Control
Mosquito-borne diseases and control
Patient Satisfaction in Healthcare
Pneumonia and Respiratory Infections
Reproductive tract infections research
Salmonella and Campylobacter epidemiology
Sepsis Diagnosis and Treatment
Syphilis Diagnosis and Treatment
Tuberculosis Research and Epidemiology
Urinary Tract Infections Management
Vibrio bacteria research studies
Department of Clinical Microbiology
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology