August 25, 2025
The Fred N. Binka School of Public Health (FNBSPH) of the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) participated in a Health Systems Innovation Conference (HSIC) at University of Ghana (UG), Accra funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. The Conference which was held from 29th to 30th April 2025, provided a platform for interdisciplinary collaboration, showcasing innovative approaches to strengthening health systems, promoting knowledge exchange and fostering mentoring relationships.
The conference was organized by Sustaining the African Health Initiative Communities of Practice (AHI-CoP) Secretariat at the Regional Institute for Population Studies (RIPS), UG, in collaboration with the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and brought together researchers, policymakers, practitioners and early career researchers from across Africa and beyond.
The two-day programme was structured around a dynamic mix of plenary discussions, thematic breakout sessions, research presentations and interactive poster exhibitions. Participants engaged in a wide range of topics organized under major themes including, Digital Health and Telemedicine, Health Systems Strengthening, Universal Health Coverage (UHC), Health Policy and Governance, Community Health and Primary Care, Health Policy and Systems Research, Health Policy and Climate Research and Health Systems Financing.
At the opening ceremony, the Principal Investigator of AHI-CoP, Prof Ayaga Agula Bawah, who doubles as the Director of RIPS-UG, highlighted the vision and objectives of AHI CoP, emphasizing its role in bridging the gap between evidence generation and policy action. He also underscored AHI CoP’s commitment to fostering cross-country collaboration and strengthening the Implementation Research ecosystem in Africa.
The Acting Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr. Caroline Reindorf Amissah who chaired the opening ceremony on behalf of Professor Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, the Director General of GHS, in her address expressed strong institutional support for the HSIC platform and applauded the role of implementation research in enhancing evidence-informed decision-making at all levels of Ghana’s health system. Dr. Amissah cited several ongoing health system initiatives led by GHS, including the deployment of digital tools such as the Home Visit App, the scaling of the Network of Practice (NoP) strategy and efforts to strengthen community-based care. She also appreciated the role of frontline health workers, researchers and partners in building a resilient and responsive health system.
Professor Gordon Akanzuwine Awandare, Pro-Vice Chancellor of UG responsible for Academic and Students Affairs, who represented the Vice Chancellor, Professor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, in a welcome address reiterated the University’s commitment to public health leadership, policy-relevant research and fostering the next generation of implementation scientists. He emphasized the University’s role as a hub for learning and innovation in sub-Saharan Africa, encouraging deeper partnerships between academia and the health sector.
Dr. Koku Awoonor-Williams, an experienced public health physician and a longtime champion of health systems transformation in Ghana, delivered the keynote address. Drawing from his extensive work with CHPS and district health system strengthening, Dr. Awoonor-Williams shared historic insights and practical reflections on how adaptive leadership, data use and research-practice integration could transform local health systems. He urged institutions to embrace collaborative leadership, continuous learning and context-specific interventions to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) goals.
There was a solidarity message from Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. The message acknowledged the work of local researchers and the importance of platforms like HSIC in sustaining dialogue, sharing results and scaling impact. The solidarity message also affirmed the Foundation’s support for knowledge generation, local ownership and institutional capacity building across all AHI partner countries.
UHAS was represented by 14 early-career researchers from the Fred N. Binka School of Public Health (UHAS-FNBSPH) and two senior academics, namely Dr. Hubert Amu and Dr. Mawuli K. Kushitor. The faculty and their mentees made impactful oral and poster presentations which earned the admiration of all who were present at the conference. At the end of the two-day Conference, two of the members from UHAS-FNBSPH, Mr. Frank Oppong Kwafo and Ms. Emmanuella Enam Godwilmann, won the first and second best poster presentation awards, respectively.
The performance of the UHAS team at the Conference reflects the University’s commitment to producing innovative policy-relevant research, fostering a culture of scholarly engagement and practical impact. The high number of early-career researchers from UHAS-FNBSPH who featured in the conference also highlights the School’s emphasis on nurturing young public health professionals and researchers to become global public health practitioners and researchers.