BIOGRAPHY - DR. (MRS) BEATRICE WIAFE ADDAI, MD.PhD
Dr. (Mrs.) Beatrice Wiafe-Addai is a Ghanaian Medical Doctor with 33 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.
PERSONAL STATEMENT
KEY STRENGTHS AND ATTRIBUTES
• Proven track record of leadership in all aspects
• Diverse experience in Public health including Non-Communicable Disease Control, Breast Cancer Control and Overall Health Promotion
• Strong research background especially in Oncology and NCDs
• Computing skills (Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications- Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint, Data Management, etc.)
• Critical thinking and appraising skills
• Innovation
• Good presentation skills
POSITIONS AND EMPLOYMENT
1. House Officer, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Kumasi, Ghana
2. Medical Officer, KATH, Kumasi Ghana.
3. Senior Medical Officer, Dept. of Obstetrics and Gynecology, KATH
4. Resident General Surgeon, KATH, Kumasi, Ghana
5. Consultant General Surgeon, KATH, Ghana
6. Consultant in Breast Cancer Management, SDA Hosp. Agona Asamang, Ghana
7. C.E.O., Peace and Love Hospitals, Ghana
8. President, Breast Care International, (BCI)
9. Executive Member, International Breast Cancer and Nutrition (IBCN)
10. Chair, IBCN, Ghana chapter
11. Chair, Ghana Non-Communicable Diseases Alliance
12. Chair, Ghana Cancer Board
13. Founder & President, BCI America
14. Medical Advisory Board Member, Direct Relief,
15. Advisory Board Member Meals4NCDs,
16. Council Member, AORTIC
17. Chair, BCI, Ghana Walk for the Cure
18. Former Member, Ethics committee – IARC,
19. Former Vice President, AORTIC, West Africa
20. Former Chairperson, Ghana Cancer Board,
21. Former Race Chair, Susan G Komen Ghana Race for the cure,
OTHER EXPERIENCE AND PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
1. Member, Surgical Society of Russia
2. Member, Soviet Trained Graduates Association of Ghana
3. Member, Ghana Medical Association (GMA)
4. Member, International Federation of University Women (IFUW)
5. Member, Private Hospitals’ Association of Ghana (PHAG)
6. Member, African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC)
7. Patron, Society of Female Medical and Dental Practitioners
8. President, IFUW, Ghana Chapter
9. Management Board Member Mpraeso Senior High School
10. Management Board Member Kwahu Government Hospital
11. Advanced Breast Cancer Global Alliance
HONORS
• The International Gold Star for leadership in quality Award in Geneva, Switzerland, 2010
• The International Award for Leadership in the Platinum Category, in Paris, 2011
• Africa’s Global Person of the Year, 2011
• The Belgium-based European Society for Quality Research (ESQR) Award, 2011
• The European Award For Best Practices (Gold Category) the European Union (EU), 2011
• 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, 2012
• International Arch European Award in the Diamond Category in Germany, 2013
• Susan Bucklers’ Excellence Award for Women in Science and Technology, 2014
• The most Influential Woman’s Award in the Category of Science and Education in Kwahu, 2015
• The BIZZ Award, World Confederation of Businesses in Washington D.C, USA, 2016
• Africa Humanitarian Award, Ecclesiatical Bishops and Leaders Conference of Africa, Accra, Ghana, 2016
• Ultimate Woman of the year award, Exclusive Men of the year awards Africa, Accra, Ghana, 2016
• Ghana Women of the year Honors, Glitz, Accra, Ghana, 2016
• Best Hospital, European Business Award, London, UK, 2017
• 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, 2019
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-
