Dr Edina Amponsah-Dacosta is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at VACFA. She is a trained Medical Virologist, and obtained her PhD in Medical Virology from the Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University in 2017. Her postgraduate research was in the field of viral hepatitis, with a particular focus on the impact of universal hepatitis B vaccination in South Africa, and the molecular genetics of the hepatitis B virus. After her PhD, Edina took up a Masters in Public Health (MPH) at the University of Cape Town, specializing in Health Policy and Systems. Her MPH research focus is on the interaction between national immunization programs and the broader health systems in which they are embedded.
In 2018, Edina joined VACFA as an avenue to marry her infectious diseases and public health backgrounds in pursuing her research goal of reducing the burden of vaccine-preventable diseases across the African region. She is currently working on a research project aimed at designing alternative, optimal vaccination strategies against pertussis. For this purpose, her research will look to characterize the immune response following homologous and heterologous prime-boost vaccination strategies against pertussis in South African children and adolescents. During her tenure as a fellow, Edina is also involved in conducting systematic reviews, co-supervising postgraduate students and co-organizing the annual African Vaccinology Course hosted by VACFA. She works closely with her principle investigator, Dr Benjamin Kagina, as well as with Dr Rudzani Muloiwa and Prof Gregory Hussey.
For publications authored/co-authored by Amponsah-Dacosta and indexed in PubMed database, go to the database and search for articles by "Amponsah-Dacosta E".