Medical researcher Akua Abrah from Case Western Reserve University's School of Medicine secures a Fulbright grant to tackle a significant factor behind infant deaths in Ghana.
Akua Abrah, a fourth-year student at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, is embarking on a journey to improve neonatal care in her home country, Ghana. With a Fulbright-Fogarty Fellowship in Public Health, Abrah will spend nine months in Ghana's Ashanti region, working at the Suntreso Government Hospital in Kumasi.
Abrah's research focuses on screening newborns for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency, a common genetic condition that can lead to severe neonatal jaundice and potentially fatal complications if untreated. This condition affects 7-20% of Ghanaians, and is linked to increased neonatal morbidity and mortality due to jaundice.
The project involves conducting a screening study to determine the prevalence and impact of G6PD deficiency in newborns, assessing the cost-effectiveness of integrating routine G6PD deficiency screening into Ghana’s neonatal care programs, engaging with community leaders, healthcare workers, and government stakeholders to explore the feasibility and acceptance of nationwide screening programs, and providing education to parents about G6PD deficiency to improve awareness and care outcomes.
Abrah's work addresses major gaps identified by the World Health Organization, which recommends screening in countries where G6PD deficiency prevalence exceeds 5%—a threshold met by Ghana but not yet acted upon at a national level.
In addition to her clinical work, Abrah hopes to perform with the local symphony to share what she's learned and strengthen the skills of the young musicians, as well as learn more about classical and traditional Ghanaian music, instrumentation, and composers.
After concluding her Fulbright project, Abrah will return to Cleveland to complete the final year of her medical training. Her work in Ghana will partner with the Northern Pacific Global Health Research Fellows Training Consortium to screen newborns for G6PD deficiency and monitor for jaundice-related complications over a 28-day period after their birth.
Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest burden of neonatal jaundice-related morbidity and mortality globally. Abrah's research aims to improve newborn survival in Ghana by evaluating practical approaches to early detection and management of G6PD deficiency and its consequences, mainly neonatal jaundice, through combined clinical screening, health education, and stakeholder collaboration.
As an Andrew B. Kaufman World Medicine Pathway Scholar at the School of Medicine focused on global health, Abrah aspires to practice neonatology in both the United States and in resource-limited settings across sub-Saharan Africa. She finds a deep sense of connection and belonging when immersing herself in the Ghanaian community, and hopes to do the same during her Fulbright project, on an even deeper level, by connecting with the community through shared meals, conversations, dance, church, and more.
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