Prof. Dr Grace Ayensu-Danquah, the high-achiever fighting for the welfare of women and children

For a country saddled with limited opportunities and the resulting brain drain, not many citizens are blessed to migrate to and develop an illustrious career in the United States of America (USA). The few Ghanaians who do, hardly look back home, given the myriad of challenges that await any 'returnee.' Prof. Dr. Grace Ayensu-Danquah is one of the rare exceptions.

A renowned surgeon and academician, Prof. Dr Ayensu-Danquah returned home around 2013 to help impact the lives of her fellow citizens and advance the welfare of women and children in particular, in furtherance of her belief that passion matters more than profit.

The Johns Hopkins University-trained woman has since channelled her energy and resources into medical philanthropy by tapping into her knowledge and professional expertise to provide free medical care to help improve the lives of women and children in Ghana and Africa.

It is her conviction that an empowered woman, no matter her educational background and social status, is the fulcrum around which her community will be transformed.

Therefore, Prof. Dr. Ayensu-Danquah has provided free medical screening to women, children, and the underprivileged in her constituency, the Essikado-Ketan, in the Western Region and throughout Ghana.

She has also contributed immensely to policy dialogue and formulation in the advancement of improved medical care for women and children. In her entire personal, professional, academic, and political life, Prof. Dr Ayensu-Danquah has fought for the rights of women and the girl child, often holding high the capabilities of the Ghanaian female to rise up to the occasion when given equal opportunities and contribute meaningfully to development. The University of Wisconsin-trained medical practitioner is an unrelenting gender advocate who works with all, using her bottom-up approach, to ensure that women occupy their rightful place in society.

At a personal level, those who know and associate with her describe Prof. Dr Ayensu-Danquah as a virtuous and humble lady who treats everybody she comes into contact with, especially her fellow women, with the utmost respect and decorum. Indeed, her main aim in seeking political office on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is to help create equal opportunities for women to improve their lives.

With evidence of her love and support for women, children, and the underprivileged available for everyone to see, it now behoves the people of the Essikado-Ketan Constituency in the Western Region to elect her into power and empower her to do more good for many more people.

Brief Profile:

Apart from being a gender advocate and philanthropist, Prof. Dr. Ayensu-Danquah (MD, MPH, FGCPS, FICS, FACS) is a humanitarian surgeon and educationist.

She holds a Bachelor of Science (BSc.) Degree in Biology from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and a Medical Degree from the University of Wisconsin in Madison.

She holds double board certifications in general surgery and has undergone specialized training in trauma and burns during her fellowship. She is also trained in reconstructive surgery.

Additionally, she holds a Master's degree in Public Health in International Health Management and Planning with special certification in humanitarian assistance and disaster management from the Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health.

Dr. Ayensu-Danquah has experience in private practice in the USA and is licensed to practice in California, Michigan, and Maryland.

In Ghana, she runs a private surgical facility in Accra. She is also the founder of Healing Hands Organization, a non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to providing medical and surgical care to the poor and needy with no access to proper healthcare. The NGO also provides free medical supplies and equipment to clinics and hospitals in rural areas.

Dr. Ayensu-Danquah is a member of the Ghana Food and Drug Authority's (FDA) Technical Advisory Committee on the Safety of Vaccines and Biological Products (TAC-VBP) and a board member of Days for Girls International Ghana.

She holds the position of Adjunct Professor of Surgery at the Center for Global Surgery at the University of Utah in the United States, as well as being a lecturer at the University of Cape Coast School of Medical Sciences in Ghana. Additionally, she is a fellow of both the American College of Surgeons and the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons.