Anglophone scientist wins Kwame Nkrumah Award

A young Anglophone Scientist, Felix Kembe Assah, has been adjudged the winner of the 2014 edition of the African, AU - The World of Academy of Science, TWAS, Kwame Nkrumah Award in the sector of earth and life sciences.

Dr. Assah, who is also a researcher and lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences of the Yaounde University I, emerged winner after carrying out research in the epidemiology of cardiovascular diseases like diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and their risk factors.

Presenting Kembe Assah’s profile during the award ceremony at the Ministry of Scientific Research and Innovation in Yaounde recently, a senior scientist and award-winning researcher, Prof. Rose Leke, said the laureate set out to understand risk factors among the population.

“His focus is in understanding the changing patterns of lifestyle, risk factors in a population undergoing transition (urbanisation and westernisation), how these relate with and affect the pattern of diseases with a view to contribute to primordial or primary prevention of these non-communicable diseases,” Prof. Leke stated.

She said the young scientist has presented his work in many national and international workshops, seminars and conferences and has published many papers in peer-review science citation index journals.

Prof. Leke said Asaah, who has been involved in the Cameroon Academy of Sciences, emerged winner of the award after a rigorous selection and evaluation by the jury. Dr. Asaah, who won $5,000 was born in May 27, 1975 in Kumbo, Bui Division of the Northwest Region. He graduated with honours in Medicine from the Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences of the University of Yaounde I in 2001. He subsequently trained in Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of Cambridge in the UK where he obtained an MPhil and a PhD in 2005 and 2009, respectively.

It is reported that, during his training, he was a Wellcome Trust Masters Training Fellow, a Gates Scholar and an Overseas Research Scholar. Dr. Asaah has also been Wellcome Trust Fellow in Public Health and Tropical Medicine based in Cameroon.

After graduating from the Medical School in 2001, Dr Asaah was recruited as Physician by the Ministry of Public Health. He is currently a Lecturer of Epidemiology with the Department of Public Health of the Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

He has been speaker, facilitator and science writer in some of the activities of the Academy relevant to his expertise. He is also a 2013 Laureate of the Young Physician Leader Programme of the Inter Academy Medical Panel, following his nomination by the Cameroon Academy of Sciences.

After gaining experience, Dr. Asaah is currently working with the Secretariat of the Cameroon Academy of Sciences to set up a National Young Academy of Science in Cameroon.

Another Laureate presented during the ceremony was Prof. Timoleon Crepin Kofane. He emerged winner of the 2014 continental AU-Kwame Nkrumah Award in Fundamental Sciences, Technology and Renovation. Handing over the awards to the Laureates, the Minister of Scientific Research and Renovation, Magdalene Tchuente, said the award was instituted to promote young scientists in developing countries. The award, she went on, promotes science and technology, noting that the work submitted by candidates must have an impact on development.