- Courtesy of the Directorate of International Relations and Advancement (DIRA) led by #Developer Prof. Courage Saba, we bring you this week’s uds@30 Alumni Profile
- Profiled today is Dr Akwulpwa Valentine Kwoyia
- Enjoy the read below as scripted by the DIRA.
Developer of the week by DIRA
- UDS@30 ALUMNI PROFILING SERIES
- The Developer of the Week
- Name: Dr Akwulpwa Valentine Kwoyia
- Programme of study at UDS: BSc. Human Biology (Medicine)
- Campus: Nyankpala
- Current status: Assistant Professor in Public Health, Fiji National University
“The Third Trimester field Practical Program (TTFPP) brought me first hand to the plight of less fortunate people in society and carved my view on the reality of what pertains as suppose to what I heard and knew. These experiences taught me humility and compassion which has guided my practice this far”
Dr. Eunice Okyere
Congratulations Dr Akwulpwa!!!
Please read his profile below.
The university as we all know it was and has always been an exciting anticipation. I know all of us can relate to our expectations and perceptions prior to entry. My joy of being in the university was tested when I arrived at the Nyankpala campus which at the time was for the School of Medicine and Health Science as well as the Faculty of Agriculture.
The picture of a university Campus I had in my mind didn’t look anything like what was before me and for a minute I questioned myself if I really wanted to stay or move to the Kwame Nkrumah University for Science and Technology (KNUST) where I had applied for Engineering. I was, however, yet to realize that knowledge is universal and if you seek it you would find it in all places. Faced with persistent water shortage, unending dust and scary mode of transport to the Tamale township, it wasn’t an exciting experience.
I remember we had to pack extra clothes so that we could change when we got to the Tamale Teaching Hospital for lectures, otherwise we all looked like aliens from a red planet . We perched at the Nursing Training College for our lectures and were actually evicted at a point. The tails are long however, these were to teach us endurance and perseverance which have marked our progression not just in our profession but in life as a whole.
The Third Trimester field Practical Program (TTFPP) brought me first hand to the plight of less fortunate people in society and so carved my view on the reality of what pertains as suppose to what i heard and knew. These experiences taught me humility and compassion which have guided my practice this far.
Being asked if I am the only one in the hospital is a daily anthem because I will respond to any call to duty no matter the circumstances. These virtues were cemented by my training in UDS.
I remember the seniors before us had to always lose a year each time they had to be transferred to either Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) or KNUST. I told myself our class was not going to have that happen to us and so as the course leader and President of the Medical Student Association (MSA) I had to be in the next available bus to Kumasi after our last paper at UDS to meet the then Dean at KNUST. Learning to take up responsibilities was augmented buy all these experiences.
My drive to specialize in Internal Medicine and subsequently Neurology was driven by the lack of neurologist in the entire Northern part of the country. After the experiences in UDS, it made me want to bridge that gap and help demystify the phobia against neurology especially for the students training in the northern sector and patients alike.
It’s refreshing these days to see the rapid changes in both infrastructural and human resource development and I remain proud to have been part of this journey. I love to teach because I don’t want to see others go through what we had.
I am proud to belong to this family of developers.
Together, the sky is not the limit but beyond.
