BIOGRAPHY - DR. (MRS) BEATRICE WIAFE ADDAI, MD.PhD

Dr. (Mrs.) Beatrice Wiafe Addai has 31 years experience as a Medical officer in Ghana; thus from 1989 to Date. She has been a Breast Surgeon for the past twelve years and a consultant in Breast Cancer Management.
Her training and wide scope of study as a specialist Breast Pathologist and a surgeon has placed her at a convenient exposition as the Chief Executive Officer and the Senior Medical Officer of the Peace and Love Hospital both in Accra and Kumasi; a specialist hospital that is championing the course of Breast Cancer and its related diseases in Ghana.

Due to her charisma, Dr. Wiafe Addai is known as a fine role model and inspiration to women and society as a whole and the quest for a unique professionalism as far as patients care and welfare are concerned. By God’s grace and her endowed knowledge, hundreds of women have been healed of various diseases through her directives particularly Breast Cancer.
From a humble beginning since twelve years ago, Peace and Love Hospital now serves as a resource Centre for the Diagnosis, treatment, Counseling, Rehabilitation, and Research for Breast Cancer, Cervical Cancer, Hepatitis Infections and Renal Dialysis among others.  It is in view of these, other tangible facts, and through her innovation and preoccupation of developing the infrastructure of Breast Cancer Advocacy, Breast Care International (BCI), an NGO that seeks to the promotion of Breast Cancer Awareness in Ghana especially in the remote communities was concerted in 2002 in Kumasi to intensify public awareness on the disease.
This Public Awareness campaign has salvaged hundreds of women from the devastating effect of Breast Cancer and its related disease and even men.
On weekends (mostly on Sundays where most women could be reached), after the exhaustive week days, Dr. Wiafe Addai and her able team normally embark on outreach mission among women groups, churches, Second cycle and tertiary institutions, organizations, and those marginalized in rural and deprived communities, sometimes at the expense of her own financial and logistical resources.

Dr. B. Wiafe Addai is member of several professional bodies including the Ghana Medical Association, Surgical Society of Russia, Soviet Trained Graduates Association, and International Federation of University Women (IFUW). She is a board member for the National Health Insurance Capitation in Ashanti Region. She is also a member of the Board of Governors of Mpraeso Senior High School and the Kwahu Government Hospital, Atibie.
Dr. Wiafe Addai’s passion and aspiration for the prevention, awareness and treatment of breast cancer has earned her an honorable recognition in Ghana and internationally as one of the champions advocating for the eradication of the disease. By dent of her hard work, commitment and meticulous working experience in various environments and her continuous search for better ways of delivering care for Breast Cancer patients, Dr. Wiafe-Addai has become an active international speaker. She has addressed many international conferences and symposiums sharing her rich knowledge about the disease.

Positions and Employment

1989  – 1991          House Officer,(Med and Sur) Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Kumasi, Ghana

1991 – 1992           Medical Officer,(Paed and OBGY) KATH, Kumasi Ghana.

1992 – 1994         Senior Medical Officer, Dept. of Obstetric and Gynecology, KATH, Kumasi

1994 – 1998          Resident General Surgeon, KATH, Kumasi, Ghana

2001 – 2002         Consultant General Surgeon, KATH, Ghana

2002 – 2006         Consultant in Breast Cancer Management. SDA Hosp. Agona Asamang, Ghana

2003 – 2008         Consultant in Breast Cancer Management, MammoCare, Accra

2002 – Present    C.E.O., Peace and Love Hospitals, Ghana

2011 – 2013          Vice President, AORTIC, West Africa

2013 – 2015           Council Member, AORTIC

2017 – present       President – Elect, AORTIC,

2016 – present       Medical Advisory Board Member, Direct Relief, USA

2018 – present       Chairperson, Ghana Cancer Board.

2009 – Present       Executive Member, International Breast Cancer and Nutrition (IBCN)

2011 – Present       Chair, IBCN, Ghana chapter

2017 – Present       Chairperson, Ghana NCD Alliance

2011 – 2012            Chair, Susan G.Komen Ghana Race for the Cure

2012 – present       Chair, BCI Ghana Walk for the Cure

Experiences and Professional Memberships

1999 – Present        Member, Surgical Society of Russia

1989 – Present       Member, Soviet Trained Graduates Association of Ghana

1989 – Present        Member, Ghana Medical Association (GMA)

1999 – Present      Member, International Federation of University Women (IFUW)

2002 – Present        Member, Private Hospitals’ Association of Ghana (PHAG)

2009 – Present        Member, African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC)

2010 – Present       Patron, Society of Female Medical and Dental Practitioners of Ghana

2010 – present       Executive Committee Member International Breast Cancer and Nutrition Project(IBCN)

2011 – Present       President, IFUW, Ghana Chapter

2012 – 2016           Management Board Member Mpraeso Senior High School

2013 – Present       Management Board Member Kwahu Government Hospital

2014 – present       Member, UICC

2015 – present       Medical Advisory Board Member, Direct Relief, USA

2014 – present       Member, UICC

2015 – present       Member, IEC, IARC (WHO), Lyon

Honors

2010                The International Gold Star for leadership in quality Award in Geneva, Switzerland

2011                The International Award for Leadership in the Platinum Category, in Paris, France

2011                Africa’s Global Person of the Year 2011

2011                The Belgium-based European Society for Quality Research (ESQR) Award

2011                The European Award For Best Practices 2011 (Gold Category) the European Union (EU)

2012                Women That Soar Award (Medicine Category), Dallas, USA

2012                Constellation Quality and Excellence Award in the Diamond Category in New York

2012                Health and Excellence Award in Diamond Category in New York, USA

2012                Global Educators For All Initiative International Award as Millennium Global Ambassador

2013                International Arch European Award in the Diamond Category in Germany

2014              Susan Bucklers’s Excellence Award for Women in Science and Technology, USA

2015               The Global Entrepreneur and Initiative Award, Houston; 

2015               The most Influential Woman’s Award in the Category of Science and Education in Kwahu

2016             The GLITZ Woman of the Year Award

2016             The Best Woman of the Year Award in the Health Category

2016             Global Person of Innovation in Science and Initiative, GBC,

2016             The “Yaa Asantewa” Award in the “MEN’S EXCLUSIVE” Honor

2016             The most Philanthropic woman’s Award by the Episcopal African Council

2017            The Socrates European Business Award – Best Hospital Award, London

2018 – Present   Advanced Breast Cancer Global Alliance

2019 – The Glory Award, World Confederation of Businesses in Amsterdam, Netherlands

2019 – Global Leader in Management Award, World Confederation of Businesses in Amsterdam, Netherlands

2019 – Distinguished African Ambassador Award, Harvard Global Health Catalyst, Boston, USA

Selected Peer-reviewed Publications

  1. Brinton LA, Figueroa JD, Awuah B, Yarney J, Wiafe S, Wood SN, Ansong D, Nyarko K, Wiafe-Addai B and Clegg-Lamptey JN (2014) Breast cancer in Sub-Saharan Africa: opportunities for prevention. Breast Cancer Res Treat: 1-12
  2. Figueroa JD, Edusei L, Adjei E, Titiloye N, Ylaya K, Addai B, Clegg-Lamptey JN, Awuah B, Nyarko K, Ansong D, Wiafe S, Brinton LA and Hewitt S (2014) Abstract C11: Impact of pathologic specimen quality on classifying molecular subtypes of breast cancer: A pilot study from three hospitals in Ghana, Africa. Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention 23(11 Supplement): C11
  3. Mena M, Wiafe-Addai B, Sauvaget C, Ali IA, Wiafe SA, Dabis F, Anderson BO, Malvy D and Sasco AJ (2013) Evaluation of the impact of a breast cancer awareness program in rural Ghana: A cross-sectional survey. Int J Cancer 2013 Aug 3. doi: 10.1002/ijc.28412
  4. Stefan DC, Elzawawy AM, Khaled HM, Ntaganda F, Asiimwe A, Addai W, Wiafe S , and Adewole IF (2013) Developing cancer control plans in Africa: examples from five countries. The Lancet Oncology 14(4): e189-e195
  5. Wiafe-Addai B (2012) A public voice for private pain to save lives from cancer. Global Health and Diplomacy. Washington DC: The Sheridan Press
  6. Addai BW (2012) 31 Strategies for Increasing Early Detection of Breast Cancer Through Community Outreach and Training. European Journal of Cancer 48, Supplement 1(0): S49-S50
  7. El Saghir NS, Adebamowo CA, Anderson BO, Carlson RW, Bird PA, Corbex M, Badwe RA, Bushnaq MA, Eniu A, Gralow JR, Harness JK, Masetti R, Perry F, Samiei M, Thomas DB, Wiafe-Addai B and Cazap E (2011) Breast cancer management in low resource countries (LRCs): consensus statement from the Breast Health Global Initiative. Breast 20 Suppl 2: S3-11
  8. Owiredu WK, Donkor S, Addai BW and Amidu N (2009) Serum lipid profile of breast cancer patients. Pak J Biol Sci 12(4): 332-8
  9. Agyei Frempong MT, Darko E and Addai BW (2008) The use of carbohydrate antigen (CA) 15-3 as a tumor marker in detecting breast cancer. Pak J Biol Sci 11(15): 1945-8

Research

Ongoing:  IARC – Evaluation of BCI’s outreach programs and clinical breast screening in Ghana

Role: PI

CCR4890

A comparison of unmet needs in women following primary breast cancer treatment in two African countries and the UK: the feasibility of implementing holistic needs assessments, care plans and treatment summaries in Africa.

Role: PI

Just Completed.    NIH/NCI (HHSN261201 0 44P/ HHSN261201500127P)   –  02/28/13-06/04/16

Ghana Breast Health Study

The goal of this study is to determine reasons for increasing rates of breast cancer in Ghana and for the preponderance of advanced and poor-prognosis tumors at diagnosis.

Role: PI

Completed:     AORTIC/NCI BIG CAT 2 Grant, S Wiafe (PI)    –  06/01/2013 – 05/31/2015

Sociocultural factors on health behaviour towards early detection of breast cancer on women who were exposed to breast cancer education in Ghana.

The goal is to determine the influence of sociocultural factors on an educational program towards early breast cancer diagnosis among women in rural communities

Mental Status of women diagnosed with Breast cancer at the Peace and Love Hospitals, Ghana(Global Health)

Role: Co-investigator

Dr. (Mrs.) Wiafe Addai is a wife, mother and teacher. Her manner is refined, gentle and very courteous when dealing with people. Her generosity is phenomenal just like St. Francis of Assisi or Madam Theresa of Calcutta. She is extremely modest and unassuming to the point of sometimes seeming almost hesitant in making an assertion. She does not take no for an answer, if she wants something she goes and gets it. She makes no compromises and never tries to hide mistakes concerning what matters most to her. Nor is she afraid to admit having been in the wrong. She is not a passionate or articulate Speaker, her manner is calm and serene and she appeals particularly to the intelligence.