Dr. (Mrs.) Beatrice Wiafe Addai was honored to receive the Distinguished Public Health Award and the Global Healthcare Leader – Breast cancer research and surgery award at the just ended MHM Leaders in Health and Tech Conference, Accra – Ghana.
Dr. (Mrs.) Beatrice Wiafe-Addai is a Ghanaian Medical Doctor with 32 years’ experience. She is a wife, mother and teacher. She has been a Breast Surgeon for the past twenty years and a Consultant in Breast Cancer Management. Her training and wide scope of study as a specialist in Breast cancer management, and a General Surgeon placed her at a convenient position as the Chief Executive Officer and the Consultant Breast Surgeon of the Peace and Love Hospitals both in Accra and Kumasi; a specialist hospital that is championing the cause of Breast Cancer and its related diseases in Ghana. She is the first Ghanaian female Specialist General Surgeon.
She is the Founder and President of Breast Care International, a Non-Governmental Organization. She also serve on other international and local boards and committees, e.g Chairperson, Ghana Non-Communicable Diseases Alliance; Medical Advisory Board Member, Direct Relief, USA; Executive Committee Member, International Breast Cancer and Nutrition Project, USA; Member, Union for International Cancer Control (UICC); Former Executive Member, International Agency for Research into Cancers (IARC); Former Chairperson, Ghana Cancer Board; Race Chair, Susan G. Komen Walk for the Cure, Ghana, and others. She has received several local and international awards such as Susan Bucklers’ Excellence Award for Women in Science and Technology, USA, Health and Excellence Award in Diamond Category in New York, USA, Africa International Award of Merit, Ghana, Women that Soar Award, Dallas, USA. She is a humble role model and inspiration to women and society as a whole and the quest for a unique professionalism as far as patient care and welfare and post treatment rehabilitation are concerned. She also has passion and aspiration for the prevention, awareness, and treatment of breast cancer, which has earned me an honorable recognition in Ghana and globally as one of the champions advocating for the eradication of the disease.
Like Dr. Martin Luther-King said “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent on things that matter”, The frequent presentation of late stage breast cancer with the accompanying high mortality rate, gave birth to her passion of giving back to fight the menace and giving back to the society with comprehensive education, awareness creation and free clinical screening about breast cancer. Her personal interactions with women in the consulting room increases my passion as well as commitment and support to save more lives when it comes to breast cancer, especially the newly diagnosed patients. She believes education, early detection measures and prompt action are the best protection we have.
Advocacy, Education, Training, Research, Comprehensive Patient-Support, Philanthropy Oncology, NCDs, Surgery are her areas of interest.