Dr. A.S. (Abena) Amoah, PhD

I am the lead for the HypoVax Global knowledge hub based at Leiden University Center for Infectious Diseases. The hub focuses on understanding variations in vaccine responses across geographical areas and populations. I have a PhD in immunoepidemiology, an MSc in epidemiology and a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences. I started my research career as a research assistant at a Rockefeller University in a laboratory investigating addictive diseases. I then worked in Ghana for 10 years at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research where I was involved in field studies on immune responses to helminth infections. After my PhD, I held two post-doctoral positions at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and at the LUMC. Prior to becoming lead for HypoVax Global, I worked once again for LSHTM overseeing all research activities at the Malawi Epidemiology and Intervention Unit’s rural site in Northern Malawi.

My research interests revolve around immune responses to various pathogens in urban and rural populations mainly in Sub-Saharan Africa. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I was a co-investigator on a Wellcome Trust-funded longitudinal study that investigated changes in SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence and associated health as well as sociodemographic factors in urban and rural Malawi over a 12 month period.

Aside from infectious diseases, I also have an interest in understanding mechanisms underpinning protection against or susceptibility to noncommunicable diseases in populations in low and middle income countries.