Ghanaian medical anthropologist Professor Gyapong has been co-elected as the president of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (RSTMH).

The Director of the Institute of Health Research and Coordinator of the Centre for Health Policy and Implementation Research at the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) shares the presidency with Dr Wendy Harrison.

https://twitter.com/rstmh/status/1707669059221815569?s=48&t=eWZ-rftREYQd3ijSt7tNCQ

Hours after the announcement, Prof Gyapong said: “With less than a decade to achieve the sustainable development goals and plans to implement a new strategy for the society.

"My Co-President, Dr Wendy Harrison, and I pledge to work with key stakeholders in identifying and addressing current global health challenges to the best of our ability.”

Dr Wendy Harrison who also starts her role as Trustee on Friday, September 29 said, “Effective partnership is paramount for tackling today’s global health challenges and the achievement of the RSHTM vision.

"My Co-Presidency with Professor Margaret Gyapong, starting in 2024 aims to strengthen this spirit of collaboration”.

They thanked Professor Janet Hemingway for her support and commitment as Trustee and Past President, as she steps down from both of these roles. 

More about Prof Margaret Gyapong

She has an interest in health systems, Implementation research, gender and the socio-cultural aspects of Neglected Tropical Diseases, Malaria and Maternal and child health. 

With a Masters in Medical Anthropology and a PhD in Epidemiology, Prior to joining the university Margaret worked in the Ghana Health Service as Deputy Director for Research and Development in charge of the Dodowa Health Research Centre. 

She has served on the WHO Steering Committee on Implementation Research (2011-2015) and the Steering Group for the WHO/GMP Global Technical Strategy on Malaria (2010–2013), as well as Chair of the WHO Lymphatic Filariasis Guidelines Development Group (2017).

She was instrumental in the development of the WHO toolkit on Implementation Research. She is currently Chair of TDR’s Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee, a member of WHO’s Scientific and Technical Advisory Group on Neglected Tropical Diseases (STAG-NTD) and the WHO/AFRO Advisory Committee on Health Research and Development.

In addition, she is the chair of the Ghana Schisto and STH Expert committee and a member of the Sightsavers Global and GLIDE board of trustees.

In 2017, she was among the first 12 women to receive the Heroine of Health award by the Women in Global Health for her work in drawing attention to the needs of women suffering from the consequences of Neglected Tropical Diseases.

In 2021, she was adjudged the most outstanding female scientist of the year by The European and Clinical Trials Partnership for her contribution to research, training, and mentorship in reducing poverty-related diseases.