A lecturer at the Department of Sociology and Anthropology and a Fellow of the African Doctoral Dissertation Research Fellowship (ADDRF), Dr. Georgina Yaa Oduro, was awarded the best presenter on African Women’s Health Issues at a conference organised by the African Population and Health Research Centre (APHRC) in Kenya from July, 15 to 17, 2013.
The conference which was held at the Hilton Hotel in Nairobi was themed ‘Scientific Symposium for Emerging Scholars in Health’. The award was granted by the internationally recognized publisher Taylor and Francis with the following citation:
The presentations that won Dr. Oduro the enviable award were based on the following co-authored articles:
(a) “From Exclusive Breast Feeding to Complementary Feeding: Narratives from mothers in Cape Coast” (Oduro G.Y. and Sika-Bright, S) and
(b) “Abortion: it is My Own Body: Narratives from females about influences on their abortion decisions” (Oduro G.Y. and Otsin A.M).
A condition attached to the award is that Dr. Oduro should update the award-winning papers for publication in the journal – ‘Health Care for Women International’ edited by Professor Emeritus Eleanor Krassen Covan of the University of North Carolina, Wilmington-USA.
Prior to this conference award, Dr. Oduro had won a $4,500 Fellowship grant from the African Doctoral Dissertation Research Fellowship (ADDRF) Programme, an initiative of the APHRC, Ford Foundation and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC-Canada) for her doctoral research which focused on: ‘Gender Relations, Sexuality and HIV/AIDS Education from a Youth Perspective’. The ADDRF grants awards doctoral fellowships to students working on equity, health, sexuality and population-related issues in Africa. There are 9 ADDRF fellows in Ghana and 132 in Africa.
Explaining the significance of the award, Dr. Oduro stated that it had encouraged her as a young academic to work harder towards achieving excellence in research, teaching and extension services. She also found her award very significant for the University of Cape Coast’s branding strategies since “I can’t talk about the award without reference to the University of Cape Coast.
The award adds to UCC’s visibility on the international scene and I’m really proud of it” she emphasized. Additionally, Dr. Oduro used the opportunity to encourage her colleagues and students pursuing PhD to be confident and put themselves forward for such international competitions.
source: ucc.edu.gh
