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Yaw Ampem Amoako

Medicine

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About

Dr. Yaw A. Amoako is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Medicine and Dentistry of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Senior Specialist Infectious Diseases Physician and Research Scientist at KCCR. He is the lead clinician for the KCCR network of clinics that provides care for the management of Buruli ulcer disease and other neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in central Ghana. He has unique passion for research as evidenced by his involvement in several research projects. These have included him working as a principal or as a collaborator with several local and international researchers. Yaw has worked on multiple clinical trials including the WHO trial that led to the development of a full oral regimen for management of Buruli ulcer disease, BURULIRIFDACC and BURULINOX trials among others. His particular area of expertise is the clinical aspects of Buruli ulcer, Scabies and other infectious/ tropical diseases. His passion for team work has seen him collaborating with many local and international colleagues to research and publish in various areas of medicine.Yaw completed his first Fellowship training in Internal Medicine in 2013 from the West African Postgraduate Medical College. He had further training in South Africa at the Groote Schuur Hospital, Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital and the University of Cape Town. Yaw has several years of experience in the teaching and practice of internal medicine.  For over a decade, he has provided care to patients in several patient settings in Ghana as a specialist Physician; this includes a weekly cover as the Specialist on Duty in a tertiary hospital setting. During such calls, Yaw and his team are responsible for attending to a wide range of medical emergencies, taking calls and providing advice to other clinicians on medical emergencies in the middle belt of Ghana.One of Yaw’s greatest passions entails teaching and training of medical students and Physicians-in-training, -this he has done for several years. He has taught clinical medicine and has examined students in several medical schools in Ghana for nearly a decade. He is a key resource for postgraduate training of internal medicine residents/ trainee specialists at the Department of Medicine of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital. He has mentored and provided guidance for many colleagues during their membership and fellowship training with the West African College of Physicians and Ghana College of Physicians.Yaw has provided consultancy and technical advisory services for the govermental and non-governmental agencies both nationally and internationally. Such work has included consultancy for personnel training, field surveys and setting up and evaluation of National disease control programmes and providing training for prescribers within the Ghana Health Service in the detection and management of Hypertension. He was part of the expert panel that evaluated the Buruli Ulcer Control Programme for Ghana on behalf of the World Health Organisation and the Ministry of Health Ghana. More recently in October 2019, Yaw led a team of experts from KCCR to visit and investigate the scabies outbreak in the East Mamprusi Municipality of the North East region as part of a technical assistance to the Municipal Health Directorate. Yaw has written several expert reports for national and international agencies.Yaw is self-motivated, analytic, decisive, dedicated to duty, has good communication and interpersonal skills and is a team player.

Research Summary

(inferred from publications by AI)

The researcher's work primarily explores public health challenges and innovative research in diverse areas such as infectious diseases, parasitic infections, immunology, and community health interventions. Their studies span topics like liver disease management, parasitic disease treatment, and immunological applications, reflecting a trend towards integrated approaches to global health issues. Research efforts focus on understanding conditions affecting vulnerable populations, including skin health strategies and infectious disease control, aiming to enhance public health outcomes. The findings highlight the importance of community engagement in managing these challenges, underscoring a shift toward more comprehensive research methodologies to address complex health disparities.

Research Themes

All Papers

Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 354 diseases and injuries for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017(2018)
Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 328 diseases and injuries for 195 countries, 1990–2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016(2017)
Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 328 diseases and injuries for 195 countries, 1990–2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016(2020)
Global, regional, and national age-sex-specific mortality for 282 causes of death in 195 countries and territories, 1980–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017(2018)
Role and capacity needs of community based surveillance volunteers in the integrated management of skin neglected tropical diseases (skin NTDs): a qualitative study from central Ghana(2023)
Global, Regional, and National Cancer Incidence, Mortality, Years of Life Lost, Years Lived With Disability, and Disability-Adjusted Life-years for 32 Cancer Groups, 1990 to 2015(2016)
Global, Regional, and National Cancer Incidence, Mortality, Years of Life Lost, Years Lived With Disability, and Disability-Adjusted Life-Years for 29 Cancer Groups, 1990 to 2017(2019)
Cancer incidence in Ghana, 2012: evidence from a population-based cancer registry(2014)
Malignant tumours in urban Ghana: evidence from the city of Kumasi(2019)
Follow-up of Breast Cancer Patients in Ghana: Challenges to Community-based Surveillance(2015)
Global, regional, and national age-sex specific mortality for 264 causes of death, 1980–2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016(2017)
Alcohol use and burden for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016(2018)
Global, regional, and national deaths, prevalence, disability-adjusted life years, and years lived with disability for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma, 1990–2015: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015(2017)
Global, regional, and national comparative risk assessment of 84 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks, 1990–2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016(2017)
Global, regional, and national under-5 mortality, adult mortality, age-specific mortality, and life expectancy, 1970–2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016(2017)
Global, regional, and national under-5 mortality, adult mortality, age-specific mortality, and life expectancy, 1970–2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016(2020)
Global, regional, and national age-sex specific mortality for 264 causes of death, 1980–2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016(2020)
Body Mapping as Risk Factors for Non-Communicable Diseases in Ghana: Evidence from Ghana’s 2023 Nationwide STEPS Survey(2025)
Global, regional, and national disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) for 333 diseases and injuries and healthy life expectancy (HALE) for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016(2017)
The Burden of Primary Liver Cancer and Underlying Etiologies From 1990 to 2015 at the Global, Regional, and National Level(2017)
Fasting Blood Glucose in a Ghanaian Adult is Causally Linked with Malaria Parasite Count: A Mechanistic Case Study Using Convergent Cross Mapping(2021)
Estimates of the global, regional, and national morbidity, mortality, and aetiologies of lower respiratory infections in 195 countries, 1990–2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016(2018)
Global, regional, and national age-sex-specific mortality and life expectancy, 1950–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017(2018)
The global burden of childhood and adolescent cancer in 2017: an analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017(2019)
Enrolment criteria for the pre-treatment study population.(2015)
Diabetes mellitus type 2 in urban Ghana: characteristics and associated factors(2012)
Rifampicin and clarithromycin (extended release) versus rifampicin and streptomycin for limited Buruli ulcer lesions: a randomised, open-label, non-inferiority phase 3 trial(2020)
Paradoxical reactions in Buruli ulcer after initiation of antibiotic therapy: Relationship to bacterial load(2019)
Effectiveness of Routine BCG Vaccination on Buruli Ulcer Disease: A Case-Control Study in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana and Togo(2015)
Mycolactone Diffuses into the Peripheral Blood of Buruli Ulcer Patients - Implications for Diagnosis and Disease Monitoring(2011)
Clinical and Bacteriological Efficacy of Rifampin-Streptomycin Combination for Two Weeks followed by Rifampin and Clarithromycin for Six Weeks for Treatment of Mycobacterium ulcerans Disease(2013)
Kinetics of mycolactone in human subcutaneous tissue during antibiotic therapy for Mycobacterium ulcerans disease(2014)
Mental health and quality of life burden in Buruli ulcer disease patients in Ghana(2021)
Caregiver burden in Buruli ulcer disease: Evidence from Ghana(2021)
Stigma experiences, effects and coping among individuals affected by Buruli ulcer and yaws in Ghana(2024)
Detection of Viable Mycobacterium ulcerans in Clinical Samples by a Novel Combined 16S rRNA Reverse Transcriptase/IS2404 Real-Time qPCR Assay(2012)
Infection with<i>Mansonella perstans</i>Nematodes in Buruli Ulcer Patients, Ghana(2014)
Barriers to Buruli ulcer treatment completion in the Ashanti and Central Regions, Ghana(2020)
Additional files for BuruliRifDACC(2022)
Co-infection of HIV in patients with Buruli ulcer disease in Central Ghana(2021)
Clinical and microbiological predictors of healing in Buruli ulcer disease(2024)
Clinical and Bacteriological Efficacy of Rifampin-Streptomycin Combination for Two Weeks followed by Rifampin and Clarithromycin for Six Weeks for Treatment of Mycobacterium ulcerans Disease(2014)
Reply to “Compliance with Antimicrobial Therapy for Buruli Ulcer”(2014)
Buruli Ulcer in Liberia, 2012(2014)
Providing insight into the incubation period of Mycobacterium ulcerans disease: two case reports(2019)
Buruli-RifDACC: Evaluation of the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of high-dose versus standard-dose rifampicin on outcomes in Mycobacterium ulcerans disease, a protocol for a randomised controlled trial in Ghana(2022)
Bacterial diversity in Buruli ulcer lesions in Ghana(2024)
Buruli-RifDACC: Evaluation of the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of high-dose versus standard-dose rifampicin on outcomes in Mycobacterium ulcerans disease, a protocol for a randomised controlled trial in Ghana(2023)
Improved protocols for isolation of Mycobacterium ulcerans from clinical samples(2025)
Mycobacterium ulcerans Disease: Buruli ulcer(2023)
Memory B-cells are enriched in the blood of patients with acute Buruli ulcer disease: a prospective observational study(2023)
PA-706 Clinical and microbiological predictors of healing in Buruli ulcer disease(2023)
PA-817 Relationship between microbiome and clinical outcome in Buruli ulcer disease(2023)
Antimicrobial resistant bacteria isolated from Buruli ulcer lesions in Ghana(2025)
<i>Mycobacterium ulcerans</i> Disease (Buruli Ulcer)(2025)
Clinical epidemiology of Buruli ulcer disease in Ghana, 2006–2024(2025)
Rabies is still a fatal but neglected disease: a case report(2021)
Clinical and demographic characteristics of chronic kidney disease patients in a tertiary facility in Ghana(2014)
Contraceptive use and unmet need for family planning among HIV positive women on antiretroviral therapy in Kumasi, Ghana(2014)
Overview of preparedness and response to COVID-19 in Ghana(2021)
Beliefs, attitudes and practices towards scabies in central Ghana(2023)
Implementation of an integrated control programme for neglected tropical diseases of the skin in Ghana: The essential role of the laboratory(2024)
Prevalence and determinants of impetigo in Ghana: a cross-sectional study(2024)
Burden of scabies in a Ghanaian penitentiary(2024)
Traditional healers' perception on scabies causation and management in <scp>Ghana</scp>(2024)
Scabies in Ghana(2025)
Evaluating the World Health Organization’s SkinNTDs App as a Training Tool for Skin Neglected Tropical Diseases in Ghana and Kenya: Cross-Sectional Study(2024)
Assessing the Quality of the World Health Organization’s Skin NTDs App as a Training Tool in Ghana and Kenya: Protocol for a Cross-sectional Study(2022)
Evaluating the World Health Organization’s SkinNTDs App as a Training Tool for Skin Neglected Tropical Diseases in Ghana and Kenya: Cross-Sectional Study (Preprint)(2023)
Endemic infectious cutaneous ulcers syndrome in the Oti Region of Ghana: Study of cutaneous leishmaniasis, yaws and Haemophilus ducreyi cutaneous ulcers(2023)
Fasting blood glucose in a Ghanaian adult is causally affected by malaria parasite load: a mechanistic case study using convergent cross mapping(2022)
Hyper-reactive Malarial Splenomegaly (HMS) in a patient with Béta thalassaemia syndrome(2014)
Genetic characterization of varicella-zoster and HIV-1 viruses from the cerebrospinal fluid of a co-infected encephalitic patient, Ghana(2022)
Development of an integrated and decentralised skin health strategy to improve experiences of skin neglected tropical diseases and other skin conditions in Atwima Mponua District, Ghana(2024)
Improving experiences of neglected tropical diseases of the skin: Mixed methods formative research for development of a complex intervention in Atwima Mponua District, Ghana(2024)
Clinical epidemiology, determinants, and outcomes of viral encephalitis in Ghana; a cross-sectional study(2024)
Characteristics and contributory factors for injectable contraceptive usage among women in Kumasi, Ghana(2016)
Spatial Modeling and Mapping of Tuberculosis Using Bayesian Hierarchical Approaches(2016)
Vitamin A: potential misclassification of vitamin A status among patients with type 2 diabetes and hypertension in urban Ghana(2015)
SNP rs6564851 in the BCO1 Gene Is Associated with Varying Provitamin a Plasma Concentrations but Not with Retinol Concentrations among Adolescents from Rural Ghana(2020)
Global, regional, and national disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) for 333 diseases and injuries and healthy life expectancy (HALE) for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016(2020)
Source of Ectopic ACTH Secretion Easily Identified by 68 Ga DOTANOC PET/CT(2017)
Outcomes and Toxicities After Treatment for Men Diagnosed With Localized Prostate Cancer in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis(2024)
Left ventricular hypertrophy among chronic kidney disease patients in Ghana(2017)
The role of bone marrow aspirate and trephine samples in haematological diagnoses in patients referred to a teaching hospital in Ghana.(2013)
Prostate-specific antigen and risk of bone metastases in west Africans with prostate cancer(2019)
False-positive prostate cancer bone metastases on magnetic resonance imaging correctly classified on gallium-68-prostate-specific membrane antigen positron emission tomography computed tomography(2018)
Mental distress and health-related quality of life in gambiense human African trypanosomiasis: a case–control study in the Democratic Republic of Congo(2022)
Diagnostics for COVID-19: A case for field-deployable, rapid molecular tests for community surveillance(2020)
Influenza Outbreak Among Students in Ghana: a Report From Three Time Points(2020)
Influenza outbreak among students in Ghana: a report from three time points(2020)
Influenza outbreak among students in Ghana: a report from three time points(2020)
Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in northern Ghana: insights from whole-genome sequencing(2021)
Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in Northern Ghana; Insights from Whole Genome Sequencing(2020)
Antibiotic Sensitivity and Clinical Outcome for Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus(2014)
The Threat of Ebola Virus Disease: a Call to Integrate all Sectors in Surveillance Activities in Ghana(2015)
Oral lithium as an adjunctive therapy during radioiodine treatment for hyperthyroidism(2017)
Thyroid scintigraphy in the management of benign thyroid disease(2018)
Relationship between ¹²³l-metaiodobenzylguanidine (¹²³l-MIBG) imaging findings and outcome in patients with neuroblastoma at the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital(2017)
[123I]-metaiodobenzylguanidine imaging findings and outcome in patients with metastatic neuroblastoma(2022)

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About This Profile

This profile is generated from publicly available publication metadata and is intended for research discovery purposes. Themes, summaries, and trajectories are inferred computationally and may not capture the full scope of the lecturer's work. For authoritative information, please refer to the official KNUST profile.