Dr. Kenneth Bentum Otabil
Background:
Dr Kenneth Bentum Otabil is a Senior Lecturer and Researcher in Epidemiology, Clinical Microbiology and One Health and the Head of the Department of Biological Science of the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR), Ghana. Dr. Otabil formed and currently leads the Consortium for Neglected Tropical Diseases and One Health (www.netrodisoh.org), a group that is passionate about research on parasitic neglected tropical diseases including onchocerciasis, lymphatic filariasis, schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminthiasis and scabies. Dr Otabil is a Fulbright Scholar who has won grants from the Fulbright African Visiting Scholar Programme (funded by the US Department of State), Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, USAID (through the Africa Research Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases), International Foundation for Science, Danida, Africa Research Fund/Medical Research Council, etc. He been awarded as a Visiting Scholar to the University of Oxford (UK), KU Leuven (Belgium), University of California San Diego (USA) and an Africa Research Fund/MRC Emerging African Leader. Dr Otabil has established strong collaborative research networks with leading Scientists from the University of Antwerp (Belgium), University of Oxford (UK), University of Amsterdam (Netherlands), Imperial College London (UK), University of California San Diego (USA), and University of Greenwich (UK). He has also developed a strong working relationship with the Ghana Health Service. He serves as a member of the WHO Skin NTD Group and the WHO’s working group on Epidemiology and Surveillance, an academic editor for PLOSONE and a peer reviewer for PLOS NTDs, BMC Infectious Diseases, PLOS ONE, eNeurological Sci (Elsevier), Journal of Parasitology Research, Geospatial Health, etc.
Research Focus:
Dr Otabil is an epidemiologist, clinical microbiologist and one health practitioner. His research focuses on the epidemiology of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) and One Health as well as the discovery of novel chokepoint enzymes with potential as therapeutic, diagnostic, and vaccine targets in parasites. He is also interested in co-infections of NTDs and EIDs (such as COVID-19) and the impact of comorbidities on disease transmission, natural history, and clinical outcomes. As a clinical microbiologist, he has further interest in drug discovery from marine and plant natural products with the goal of finding new treatments for NTDs and EIDs.
Future Aspirations:
Dr Otabil envisages the development of the NeTroDisOH into a strong centre of excellence for research, training, advocacy on NTDs and One Health. He aims to train PhD and masters students as well as early career scientists to be passionate and dedicated to the course of beating NTDs. His goal is to train the next generation of scientists to ensure that the fight against NTDs continues and is eventually won. He also aspires to see the translation of research findings into policy and programmatic decisions in Ghana and globally.
NeTroDisOH
13th
22nd
