Dr. Gladys Kaba, is a Lecturer in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Basic and Biomedical Sciences, University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS), Ho, Ghana. She joined the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) in November, 2014 as an Assistant Lecturer. She is a Commonwealth Scholar and an active member of the International Papillomavirus Society (IPVS). An abstract from her PhD research work awarded Dr. Gladys Kaba the MARS Best African Woman Researchers Award –Merck Foundation Africa Research Summit - MARS in 2022.
EDUCATION
Dr. Gladys Kaba completed her secondary school education at Aburi Girls’ Senior High School, Aburi, Ghana, and completed in 2002 and for her undergraduate studies she went to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana and graduated with a Bsc. Biochemistry degree in 2007. She then perused a postgraduate study in MPhil. Medical Biochemistry at the University of Ghana Accra, Ghana and completed in 2011. She continued her education by enrolling in a terminal degree (Ph.D. Molecular Medicine) training programme at KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana and graduated in 2023, with thesis titled - “Diversity of Cervicovaginal Human Papillomavirus Genotypes and Naturally Occurring E6/E7 DNA Sequence Polymorphism: A Study Among Selected Women with Clinical Suspicion of Cervical Cancer or Diagnosed Cervical Cancer/Precancer Cases in Ghana”. During her PhD studies, Dr. Gladys Kaba was a Postgraduate Visiting Researcher, as part of a PhD split-site Commonwealth Scholarship program (November 2018 to April 2019 & November 2019 to April 2020) were she carried out her PhD research bench work at the Centre for Virus Research, Institute of Infection, Immunity & Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Scotland, UK.
WORK EXPERIENCE
Dr. Gladys Kaba, after completing her Nation Service in 2008 was appointed as a Teaching Assistant (February 2010 to December 2012), during and after her MPhil. Medical Biochemistry studies at the Department of Medical Biochemistry, University of Ghana Medical School, University of Ghana, Ghana. She was an Assistant Lecturer (January 2013 to October 2014), at the Department of Medical Biochemistry, School of Medical Sciences, University of Cape Coast (UCC), Cape Coast, Ghana before joining UHAS, Ho, Ghana, in 2014 as an Assistant Lecturer from November, 2014 to December, 2023. In between, she was on study leave from UHAS as a full time PhD student (August 2017 to December 2021) at the Department of Molecular Medicine, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana.
RESEARCH INTEREST AND KEY OUTPUT
Dr. Gladys Kaba’s main research area is on Human Papillomavirus (HPV) genome & associated diseases including Anogenital Lesions/ Cancers, Head and Neck Cancers (HNCs), Respiratory Papillomatosis etc. She is also interested in diseases conditions associated with females in general including cervical cancer, breast cancer etc. And she also carries out research activities on Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) including Schistosomiasis (such as Female Genital Schistosomiasis etc.) as well as genomic / microbiome/Vriom diversity especially for biomarkers.
- Kaba G, Stevenson A, Sakyi SA, Konney TO, Bhatia R, Titiloye NA, et al. Diversity of cervicovaginal human papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes and naturally occurring E6/E7 DNA polymorphisms of HPV-16 in Ghana. Tumour Virus Research. 2023:200261.
- Kaba, R H. Asmah, B. Dzudzor, EK Wiredu, C.A. Brown, R. K. Gyasi, Human Papillomavirus Genotypes in a Subset of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinomas. WEST African Journal of Medicine, 2014; 33(2): 121–124. PMID: 25236828
ONGOING RESEARCH
- Whole Human papillomavirus Genome Sequencing and type-specific variants analysis, Ghana
- The burden of female genital schistosomiasis (FGS) among women with infertility in the volta region of Ghana
- Molecular diversity of Schistosoma infection among selected histology reported Schistosomiasis Cases at Cape Cost Teaching Hospital, Ghana.