Karen Nana Yaa Sesenyo
National officer for Research Exchange
The FGMSA extended family has been around for a while now, an umbrella of sorts for Ghanaian medical students, with six standing committees tackling various issues, one could say we are a diversified family, and that’s a good thing. There is beauty in diversity after all, and an effective system is only as good as the sum of its parts. SCORE-Ghana, the dark blue family, has been a prominent part of the FGMSA. Managing and facilitating the research exchange program over the years. It seems a straightforward task from the outside, but it entails so so much, we’ll try to cover a bit of that over here.
Our Mission:
‘The standing committee on research exchange is determined to offer future physicians an opportunity to experience research and diversity in countries all over the world. We aim to achieve this by providing a network of locally and internationally active students that globally faciltate access to research exchange projects. Through our program and opportunities, we aim to develop both culturally sensitive students and skilled researchers intent on shaping the world of science.
Here in Ghana, it is therefore our aim to resonate the importance of tropically inclined research projects to our neighboring score active countries within the Africa and the world at large And to widen the horizon of medical students in Ghana by providing them with the possibility to experience different approaches in medical research, education and treatment by partaking in research projects in other countries.
Our Activities:
Over a hundred medical students are given the opportunity to embark on research exchange every year. In the same vain, equal number of students are hosted from all over the world, here in Ghana. But all work and no play, makes exchange students a dull bunch and so with the same energy we ensure that exchange students coming in experience the fullness of the rich culture our country has to offer in the form of excursions to a number of the most renowned historic and monumental sites of Ghana. From the canopy walkways, the beaches, the castles, the “charley wote” art festival (in august), food courts, karaoke programs, skill learning programs (basketry, tie and dye, etc.)
Our Projects:
For SCORE Ghana, medicine is research and research is medicine. Our projects are centered of the baseline fundamentals of medicine. We answer and look out for the molecular explanations behind the deficits in medicine. We’re known to be the committee that acquires research slots for the yearly exchange program. These projects are generally in the field of tropical medicine. Acquiring these slots involves obtaining the research projects from tutors and ensuring that they meet the international criteria without losing the Ghanaian flavor that makes the projects so attractive (and that’s what makes the cookie crumble! 🙂
A couple of these projects inlude;
“Seroconversion of Hepatitis B vaccine among healthcare workers”
“Epithelial progenitor cells and the pathogenesis of cereal malaria: Early detection of Cerebral Malaria”
“The surveillance of congenital Rubella syndrome”
But to mention a few from our active local committees in the University of Cape Coast (UCC), University of Ghana, Legon (UG) in collaboration with the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and University of Developmental Studies (UDS).
Ghana awaits! There is so much to see, so much to do and so much to love.
Warm blue hugs,
SCORE -Ghana
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