Dr Mike Yaw Osei-Atweneboana is a Principal Research Scientist, and Head of the Biomedical and Public Health Research Unit of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research- Water Research Institute (CSIR-WRI). He is also Head of Department of Environmental Biology and Health of the CSIR-WRI.
Currently, he leads the COUNTDOWN research work on parasitology, diagnostics and expanded treatment on Schistosomiasis.
He obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences and Nursing at the University of Ghana in 1992 as well as Master’s degree in Medical Parasitology and Entomology in 1997. He obtained his PhD at the McGill University, Canada in Medical Parasitology, Epidemiology and Molecular Biology in 2008. He has a vast experience in infectious diseases control, with various expertise including epidemiology, medical parasitology, entomology and molecular genetics.
His research focuses on: drug efficacy and parasitological responses of chemotherapeutic agents to the causative agents of various Neglected Tropical Diseases; mechanisms and genetics of drug resistance and development of molecular marker of detection of drug resistance; development of molecular diagnostic tools for detection of pathogens of infectious diseases and facilitate monitoring and surveillance of NTDs.
He has supervised many post-graduate students at both masters and PhD levels at various Ghanaian Universities. He is an external examiner for some Universities and reviewer for international peer-reviewed journals. He has obtained many research grants from funding agencies including the DFID, EDCTP, Wellcome Trust, Royal Society and Leverhulme Trust, WHO/TDR, Volkswagen Stiftung Foundation and more.
He serves on various National and International Technical Committees, including expert committees for the working group on monitoring of drug efficacy in large-scale treatment programmes for onchocerciasis control, WHO Advisor on Disease-specific Reference Group on helminth infections. Also serves on Board of Research and Academic Institutions and have served as Council member of the College of Health Sciences of the University of Ghana, Legon.
He has published over 40 peer-reviewed articles in international journals including The Lancet, Proceeding of National Academy of Sciences, USA, PloS NTDs, Journal of Clinical infectious diseases.