Miss Rita Nyaaba Akologo is a Senior Research Assistant at the Centre for Research in Applied Biology (CeRAB), University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR), Ghana, and an MPhil Microbiology candidate at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). As an early-career researcher, her work focuses on the development of molecular biomarkers for the early detection of preventable of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases.
Rita has played a pivotal role in coordinating cervical cancer and female genital schistosomiasis screening programs in underserved communities, where she has gained a deep understanding of the contextual and behavioral factors influencing screening uptake across sub-Saharan Africa. At CeRAB, she has contributed significantly to the establishment of molecular diagnostic screening programs in rural hospitals and at the Centre, a milestone that enabled the Centre to achieve Global Proficiency Testing certification for HPV DNA testing.
She currently serves as the Principal Investigator of an RSTMH-funded project titled “Mapping Environmental Threats for Helminth Infection and Resistance to Single-Dose Albendazole among Children in Persistently Endemic Rural Communities,” which investigates co-infection dynamics and environmental determinants of helminth transmission.
As a Social Media Ambassador for the International Papillomavirus Society (IPVS), Rita is deeply committed to health advocacy and community engagement, promoting HPV vaccination, cervical cancer screening, and reproductive health education across Africa and globally.
She has earned several competitive awards and fellowships, including the RSTMH Early Career Grant, IPVC Travel Grant (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation), DAAD G-WAC Scholarship, and WACCBIP–FCDO/Wellcome Trust AMR Fellowship.
Her long-term vision is to enhance access to advanced molecular diagnostics in resource-limited settings to strengthen disease surveillance systems and promote equitable global health outcomes.