Prof. Alexander Yaw Debrah holds BSc (Hons) in Biological Sciences, M.Phil. in Clinical Microbiology and PhD in Medical Parasitology. He joined the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences at KNUST as a lecturer in 2007, where he teaches Medical Parasitology at the Medical School and the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences. He has held a number of positions at the KNUST, including the Head of Department of Medical Laboratory Technology and the now Dean of the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences. His main research focus is on Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) but his area of interest is in filariasis. The molecular basis of symbiosis between filarial worms and their Wolbachia endobacteria is one of the cornerstones of his research work, the second being the genetics of filariasis. In addition, he conducts research on other NTDs such as schistosomiasis and intestinal helminthiasis. He has received a number of awards including American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) Travel Award in 2007, a nomination by VW Foundation of Germany to attend a forum of Nobel laureates and young promising scientists in Lindau, Germany in 2010, the prestigious bi-annual main prize of the German Paul-Ehrlich-Society for anti-infective therapy (“PEG”) in 2013 and the German “Momento Research” Prize of 2015. He also won both Junior (2008-2011) and Senior (2012-2015) fellowships of European Foundation Initiative on Neglected Tropical Diseases (EFINTD). He has a number of ongoing research activities sponsored by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, European Commission, European Foundation Initiative on Neglected Tropical Diseases (EFINTD), VW Foundation of Germany and German Research Foundation (DFG) of Germany among others.
Prof. Debrah has research collaborations with many international universities including University of Bonn, Case Western Reserve University of Cleveland, and University of Buea in Cameroon among others.
Prof. Debrah has over 50 publications in peer-reviewed journals.