SWME Sponsors Doctors from Ghana to Attend ADA 71st Scientific Sessions
Miami, Florida, United States (July 18, 2011) – The Society for Worldwide Medical Exchange (SWME) proudly sponsored two deserving physicians from Ghana, West Africa to attend the American Diabetes Association (ADA) 71stScientific Sessions in San Diego, California, June 24-28, 2011. Dr. Harold Dzigbodi Agbenu and Dr. Kofi Agyenim-Boateng were selected for sponsorship due to their inspiring humanitarian achievements in the field of diabetes.
Leading the fight against diabetes in the United States, ADA promotes the prevention and treatment of the disease through service delivery, research, fundraising, advocacy and community outreach. The ADA 71st Scientific Sessions drew 18,000 of the world’s leading experts to share the latest cutting-edge research and the most up-to date information on diabetes prevention, treatment and care. Dr. Agyenim-Boateng and Dr. Agbenu were recommended to SWME’s Doctor Sponsorship Program by Paulina Duker, Managing Director of ADA’s Scientific and Medical Division, who is currently exploring diabetes specific CME programs in Ghana. “We are very grateful to SWME for providing this priceless opportunity for the Ghanaian doctors. Both of them work in centrally located regional facilities and will enormously impact the paradigm shift in diabetes care that is currently evolving as Sub-Saharan Africa begins to look seriously at non-infectious diseases/epidemics such as diabetes and their costs to development,” Ms. Duker said.
Dr. Agbenu and Dr. Agyenim-Boateng are influential specialists in the field of diabetes and spearhead education programs in Ghana, making them ideal candidates for SWME sponsorship. Currently the head of the Outpatient Department at the Ghana Police Hospital in Accra, Dr. Agbenu leads efforts to reduce the rising rates of diabetes among police officers. When asked how participating in the conference would positively impact his practice and his community, Dr. Agbenu responded, “I have been going through the program and found that there are many drugs out there that I haven’t heard of. I am sure we are going to take away a lot in the areas of prevention, diagnosis and laboratory investigations.”
Dr. Agyenim-Boateng is a strong advocate for CME beyond the secondary level of education. A veteran physician originating from Kumasi, Ghana, he has served as a specialist in diabetes care for over 25 years and supports the organization and delivery of medical education programs across the country. He is very passionate about his work, and despite calls to take on elite administrative positions, he remains committed to clinical practice. During an interview with SWME staff, Dr. Agyenim-Boateng kindly shared, “When I was a student, I was not taught about HIV. When you finish school, and years after a new disease appears, you cannot tell yourself that you didn’t learn about AIDS in medical school, so there is no business. You’ve got to go and read about it and also get practice. You’ve got to be at the forefront if you are an educator so that you can inspire interest in others and pull them along.”
