Dr. Myat Htoo Razak of NIH, USA Visits OGR

Dr. Myat Htoo Razak, the Programme Director at the Division of International Training and Research of the Fogarty International Center (FIC), National Institutes of Health (NIH) paid a visit to the Office of Grants and Research (OGR). The visit was part of activities to monitor the progress made on IH funded projects under the Medical Education Partnership Initiative (MEPI) at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). It also provided him with an opportunity to interact with the project team and institutional stakeholders and thus enhance his understanding of the achievements and challenges of the projects, as well as any needed technical support.

Dr. Razak is the Programme Officer responsible for the KNUST MEPI grant and its supplement, Initiative on Research and Innovation Management (iRIM) grant which facilitated the establishment of OGR.

During his visit to the OGR, Dr. Razak expressed his excitement about the establishment of such as office for the KNUST and the role NIH has played in the attainment of this significant milestone by the university. He interacted with the staff of the office and lauded them on the successes achieved so far though the office was relatively young. He was optimistic about the future prospects of OGR and said he was looking forward to greater achievements in the near future. He therefore encouraged the staff to put in their maximum effort to support researchers in their grant activities and help build the research enterprise of KNUST.

Prof. Peter Donkor, the Director of OGR and the Principal Investigator of the MEPI grant also expressed his delight at the visit and thanked the NIH for the support given to the university towards the establishment of the office. He further assured NIH through Dr. Razak that the office and the university will work hard to strengthen research support and grants management throughout the institution.

While in Ghana, Dr. Razak also held meetings with the Provost, College of Health Sciences; Dean, School of Medical Sciences; Acting Chief Executive, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH); Medical Director, KATH; Dean, UDS Medical School; Acting Chief Executive, Tamale Teaching Hospital; and the Acting PEPFAR Country Director.