Name: Charlotte Tawiah-Agyemang Email:charlotte.tawiah@ghana-khrc.org Telephone Number: +233 61 27304  Ext:110

Qualifications:BA(Hons), MSc

Charlotte studied Psychology with Political Science at the University of Ghana and graduated in 1997. She started work at the Centre after completing her National Service in 1998.

She has worked closely with the late Dr. Paul Arthur, Prof Carl Kendall and Miss Zelee Hill on the Health Seeking Behaviour project in Ghana.

She obtained an MSc in Public Health Nutrition from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of London in 2000.

She is currently the Head of the Information, Education and Communication component of the study exploring the impact of vitamin A mortality in Ghana. She is particularly interested in Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition as well as general health-seeking behaviour.

Experience:

Head of Information, Education and Communication (IEC) Department: Vitamin A supplementation on maternal mortality in Ghana (ObaapaVitA Project): Responsible for training of personnel, designing, implementing and evaluating project IEC programmes. ( 2000 to date)

Research officer: Evaluation of bioavailability of “Sprinkles” among young children. Responsible for community preparation, training of personnel, subject recruitment and study subject nutritional assessment. (April-August 2002)

District Coordinator: District Health System Operation (DISHOP) Workshop. In-charge of organization of logistics, accommodation, feeding and the welfare of participants and facilitators. Also responsible for field research activities. (October 2000-August 2002)

District Supervisor National Immunization Days (NID) Responsible for the supervision of vaccines, volunteers and logistics. (From 2002 to date)

Resource Person: Science, Technology and Mathematics Education (STME) clinic for girls. Assistant Research Officer: Using microencapsulated Iron and Vitamin A in the form of powder (sprinkles)to treat and prevent anemia and Vitamin A deficiency in children. In-charge of community preparations, subject recruitment and study subject nutritional assessment. (February-August 1999)

Assistant Research Officer: Developing interventions to enhance Health Seeking Behaviour for Childhood Illness. Helped in the preparation of community activities, field materials and data collection (July 1998 to February 1999)

Assistant Research Officer: Effect of Zinc on the treatment of plasmodium falciparum malaria in children: a randomized controlled trial (the Zinc against plasmodium study group). Responsible for subject recruitment and nutritional assessment (March-July1999)

Interests:

My main interest is in maternal and child health with major emphasis on IEC issues, liaising with the communities within which we carry out our work and meeting policy makers to discuss issues which arise during the course of my work.

Publications:

1. Edmond E, Bahl R, Tawiah-Agyemang C, Lawn J and Kirkwood B.
   Breast is still best: with the potential to save 1.4 million lives a year. The Commonwealth Health ministers Book 2006. Pg 66-69.
2. Hill, Zelee, Kirkwood, Betty, Kendall, Carl, Adjei, Eunice, Arthur, Paul, Agyemang Charlotte Tawiah.
   Factors that affect the adoption and maintenance of weekly vitamin A supplementation among women in Ghana. Public Health Nutrition. 10(8):827-833, July 2007
3. Bazzano AN, Kirkwood BR, Tawiah-Agyemang C, Owusu-Agyei S, Adongo
   PB Beyond symptom recognition: care-seeking for ill newborns in rural Ghana. Tropical Medicine and International Health. 13(1) 123-128,January 2008
4. Edmond KM, Kirkwood BR, Tawiah C, Owusu Agyei S.
   Impact of early infant feeding practices on mortality in low birth weight infants from rural Ghana. J Perinatol. 2008. In Press.
5. Tawiah-Agyemang C, Hill Z, Kirkwood B.
   Early initiation of breastfeeding: Barriers and Facilitators. Submitted to the WHO Journal.