University of Ghana Medical School, Ghana

Emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases

Dr. LaRon E. Nelson, Independence Foundation Professor at Yale, and Dr. Margaret Yaa Lartey, Associate Professor of Medicine and Dean of the University of Ghana Medical School collaborate on the Ghana-Yale Partnership for Global Health (GYPGH). The long-term goal of GYPGH is to build intrinsic research capacity and reverse “brain-drain” by strengthening academic infrastructures and creating viable career opportunities for young scientists. The objectives of the partnership include: 1) supporting collaborative research between faculty at the University of Ghana and Yale; and 2) training young scientists at both institutions for a productive career in globally important infectious diseases research. There are two training sites in Ghana: (1) Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) for clinical research training; and (2) Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) for basic science, translational, and field-based research training. KBTH is the premier health care facility in the country. It is the only tertiary hospital in the southern part of Ghana and it is the teaching hospital affiliated with University of Ghana Medical School, the country’s first medical school. KBTH was built in 1923 and now has 2000 hospital beds with 17 clinical and diagnostic departments and centers of excellence. NMIMR was established in 1979 as a semi-autonomous biomedical institute of the University of Ghana. The mandate of NMIMR is to: (1) conduct research into health problems of public health importance; (2) provide training opportunities for postgraduate students in medical research; and (3) provide specialized laboratory diagnostic and monitoring services in support of public health programs.

Initially, NMIMR’s infrastructure development and research support was provided by four 5-year Grant Aids from the Government of Japan through its development agency, JICA. From 2000, the institute broadened its research capacities to attract funds from other sources, including NIH, USAID, Wellcome Trust, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Danish International Development Agency, among others. Now, the site provides training opportunities in emerging and reemerging infectious diseases (viral, bacterial, and parasitic), including neglected tropical diseases.

Dr. Nelson has been leading research in Ghana since 2009. In 2024 he joined the GYPGH which was founded at Yale by Dr. Elijah Paintsil. The GYPGH team has mentored 8 Doris Duke International Research Fellows in Ghana. In keeping with its mission to build sustainable human capacity, the GYPGH has sponsored 25 students, faculty, and staff from Ghana to spend up to two months at Yale, where they participate in the annual Summer Research Institute and receive intensive mentorship at various Yale labs.