UTMB neuroscientist hopes to bring expertise to Ghana
GALVESTON, Texas — A neuroscientist at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston is joining forces with prominent physicians and scientists worldwide to help establish a neuroscience center in the Republic of Ghana in West Africa.
Lisa D. Cain, associate professor in the Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, traveled to the Ghanaian Embassy in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 2 to join an effort to raise funds for the Korle-Bu Neuroscience Center in Accra, Ghana.
“There are only seven neurosurgeons in Ghana and even fewer neurologists,” Cain said. “With a population of 20 million, it’s imperative that we train more personnel to treat the debilitating diseases and injuries affecting the brain and spinal cord.”
“The establishment of the Korle-Bu Neuroscience Center will provide a high quality clinical service to the people of Ghana and West Africa, and foster an academic environment of teaching and training, and provide relevant research to benefit all of West Africa,” she said.
Cain said she hopes her efforts to reach out on an international level will eventually provide opportunities for UTMB students and faculty to interact with Africans and to share their knowledge with diverse populations globally.
Cain is collaborating with Dr. John Sampson, president of Doctors for United Medical Missions, and the Korle-Bu Neuroscience Foundation. Supporting the initiative is Dr. Kwame Bawuah-Edusei, the ambassador of Ghana to the United States, and Dr. Benjamin Carson, director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins University.