Mavis Pearl Kwabla is an assistant lecturer with the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ghana. She is currently a PhD candidate in Epidemiology at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) and the Hanover Biomedical Research School of the Hanover Medical School in Germany. Her PhD research is evaluating the tuberculosis surveillance system in Ghana using capture-recapture method.

Education

Pearl had both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Public Health at the University of Ghana. Prior to that, she had obtained a Diploma certificate in Community Health at the then Rural Health Training School, now College of Health, Kintampo and a Diploma in Management studies from the University of Cape-Coast.

Work Experience

 Prior to her appointment with the University in 2014, Pearl worked as a Senior Technical Officer in Disease Control at the New Juaben Municapl Health Directorate, Ghana Health Service in Koforidua. She had also worked as a Teaching Assistant with UHAS on secondment from the Ghana Health Service where she was a part of a 5-member team that developed the vocational training curriculum for the school of Public Health. She was involved in mapping out health facilities and public health related amenities using Geographic Information System (GIS) as part of community needs assessment in 7 districts of the Volta region of which one publication was realized with Pearl as first author.

In addition to teaching and supervising undergraduate students’ dissertations, she was appointed the Coordinator for the Vocational Training Programme of the school of public health where she saw to the practical needs of the students as well as drawing up of schedules for supervision by lecturers. She also coordinated the curriculum development of the Master of Public Health (MPH) program which received accreditation from both the National Accreditation Board and the National Council for Tertiary Education.

List of courses taught by Pearl included Introduction to public health, Principles of disease control, Control of emerging and re-emerging diseases and Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI). She also assisted in teaching Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR), Non-communicable diseases, Emergency preparedness and outbreak investigations and Public Health Legislation, regulation and enforcement.

Pearl served as an adhoc committee member on APMC to review the Mphil in Applied Epidemiology curriculum and as a member of the school board for the School of Public Health. She also served as community entry officer for the proposed Ebola phase 1 trial and a member of the cholera outbreak investigation team that assisted in curbing the spread of the 2014 Cholera outbreak in Hohoe as well as serving as Chaplaincy Representative for SPH.

Science/Research Output

Her research interests include tuberculosis prevalence surveys among prison populations, surveillance system evaluation of infectious diseases, outbreak investigation of communicable diseases, assessment of immunization and cold chain management and Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) research.

Selected Publications

• Kwabla M.P., Donne K. A., & Nortey P. (2015). Pulmonary Tuberculosis and Its Risk Factors among Inmates of a Ghanaian Prison. International Journal of Tropical Disease & Health. 9(3): 1-10-2278–1005.
• Kwabla M.P., Norman I.D., Kweku M., Takramah W., Amenuvegbe G.K., Appiah-Kubi P., Osei E., & Binka F.N. (2015). Investigation into the Perceived Neglect of the Volta Region, Ghana, under Millennium Development Goal 7. Central African Journal of Public Health. 10.11648.
• Adom S., Takramah, W., Kwabla M.P. & Kweku, M. (2016). Methods of Domestic Solid Waste Management in Hohoe Urban in the Volta Region. Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection, 4, 1-11.
• Ntow GE., Kwabla M.P. & Der J. (2016). Hygiene Practices Among Food Vendors in Hohoe Township. Central African Journal of Public Health. 43-50- 10.11648-0202.11.
• Gatsey P.S.N., Tchiakpe M.P., Kumah D.B., Kwabla M.P., Mireku F.A., & Yeboah K.G. (2017). Paediatric Ocular Injuries Associated with Ghanaian Recreational Activities in the Ashaiman Municipality, Ghana. JOJ Ophthalmology, ISSN: 2473-5477.
• Kwabla M.P., Gyan C., & Zotor F. (2018). Nutritional status of in-school children and its associated factors in Denkyembour District, eastern region, Ghana: comparing schools with feeding and non-school feeding policies. Biomed Central Nutrition Journal, 17:8-(Read more...)