In an outstanding achievement underscoring exceptional dedication and commitment to advancing medical research, Dr. Rita Afriyie Boateng, a Post-Doctoral Researcher at the Parasitology department, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, has received funding for the prestigious African Postdoctoral Training Initiative (APTI) fellowship program.
Dr. Boateng emerged from a pool of 296 applicants considered by the African Academy of Sciences based on excellence and potential for innovation, creativity, and research capacity strengthening. The fellowships, each worth US$226,800 for the recipients, are part of the APTI program implemented by the African Academy of Sciences (AAS) in partnership with the US National Institute of Health (NIH).
During the four-year fellowship, Dr. Afriyie Boateng and nine (9) other scientists from Africa, part of the third cohort, will conduct cutting-edge research in global health in the United States.
Dr. Boateng will spend her fellowship at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) under the mentorship of Dr. Elodie Ghedin.
A key point for her research will be to focus on understanding interaction mechanisms in parasites and leveraging these findings to identify repurposed drugs against them.
About APTI Fellowship Program
Established in 2019, the African Postdoctoral Training Initiative is a postdoctoral training fellowship program. Fellows are trained and supported to become scientific leaders who can advocate for increased research and innovation projects in Africa.
This is done through four-year postdoctoral fellowships where APTI Fellows are placed in various laboratories of the NIH Institutes or Centers (e.g., Intramural Research Program) for two years before returning to their home institutions in Africa for another two years of research.
Brief Profile – Dr. Rita Afriyie Boateng
Dr. Boateng obtained her PhD in Bioinformatics from Rhodes University, South Africa, during which she published several impactful papers. She was a recipient of the Wellcome Trust-funded DELGEME DELTAS training fellowship and also holds a postdoctoral position in the Bill and Melinda Gates-funded Calestous Juma Science leadership and Fellowship program.
Dr. Afriyie Boateng’s long-term aspiration is to continuously expand and embrace new bioinformatic methodologies in studying infectious diseases. She aims to advance a research niche in Ghana on malaria drug resistance and drug development, as well as train young African scientists. Ultimately, she is focused on conducting research that informs policy and improves human health.
She currently serves as a postdoc with Dr. Anita Ghansah at Department of Parasitology,Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon.