A health and public policy blog
Over the past decade the availability of commercial gene sequencing technics that provide information on the approximate geographic sources of our genes have increased significantly. These products aRead More…
Over the years widespread application of vaccines globally has led to significant reductions in the incidence of many vaccine preventable communicable diseases. One disease smallpox has been completeRead More…
These are the words of an anthropologist friend of mine – who has been traveling from Honduras with the caravan – regarding events at the Souther border over the weekend. No media news spin here: “TodRead More…
I usually buy gas at Costco, and have established some rapport with most of the attendants at the gas pumps. There is this elderly gentleman I always chat with! He is retired and does this not for thRead More…
In a prior post earlier in the year I wrote on this topic. A closer look at the current global situation suggests that whilst the cost of Hepatitis C (HCV) treatment may appear to be a major barrier Read More…
“Dr. Kankam, make sure to tell them not to prescribe Ambien to anyone who complains of not sleeping.”
That was the advice an internal medicine physician gave me when he learnt I was giving a talk Read More…
These days when I hear people say; “I love your accent, where is it from?” I wonder if I should say “thank you” or run for my passport just in case ICE will be in pursuit soon.
My English is aRead More…
The battle of the sexes continues to rage on across societies and has taken many casualties over time. In Election 2016 many believe the preference for Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton was driven byRead More…
In Election year 2016, forty-two percent of Americans did not vote, a significant proportion of them like myself were recent immigrants from “shithole” countries! I guess most of them believed their vRead More…
What if I told you I am afraid to attend church services in America today! With the Sutherland Springs and Charleston church massacres, I am now afraid of being shot in church, you would definitely sRead More…
In the past few weeks there has been a lot of interest on the breast as different organizations advance various initiatives to help reduce risk of Breast Cancer in Ghana. These activities attracted aRead More…
As any self respecting Baltimore resident I sometimes see business deals in terms of street culture. I must admit though that I am no expert in street culture however a conversation that I had with aRead More…
I believe some issues are definitely first world problems. Women’s reproductive rights, unfortunately falls into that category. I have been amused at how abortion rights has so paralysed this nation Read More…
Over the past two decades the United States has experienced an uncontrollable epidemic of drug related deaths. In 2016 sixty-three thousand Americans died of drug overdoses, two out of three of these Read More…
The whole of last week most of us have been debating or considering one way or the other if an individual accused but never convicted of attempted rape should be allowed to sit on the highest judicialRead More…
A recent WHO ranking of health systems puts the US at number 37 between Costa Rica and Slovenia. This is more surprising since US heath expenditure per capita is twice that of the number one country Read More…
Here in the United States, a group of people has appropriated upon themselves the sole responsibility of determining when America was great, that America had always been great but America needs to be Read More…
For me my most favorite place in this world is my home, this does not hold true for my son though; he loves hotels. A few days ago I got the shock of my life. My whole world was turned upside down. ARead More…
My country of birth has been described as one of the most religious countries in the world. This is a crown that most Ghanaians wear proudly, whilst others would gladly avoid any mention of that. ORead More…
In a prior post I had dreamed of claiming my gun which I rightfully acquired as a citizen of this great nation. Unfortunately life always just appears to get in the way of the greatest ideas and like Read More…
With the passing of my school mate by several decades Mr. Kofi Annan I had to do some thinking on my own obituary. Everyone wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die, not me! You see for me “itRead More…
In the US most patients who require PrEP (HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) get coverage for Truvada by their insurance companies. Patients with medicaid coverage have copays ranging from $3 – 25, howeverRead More…
More than 20 years ago I entered University of Ghana as a premed student in the Faculty of Science. The opportunity to start my college experience on the University Campus in Legon enabled me to inteRead More…
This article is dedicated to the memory of Prof. Bongani Mayosi, a world renowned South African cardiologist who died by suicide from depression this week.
As I sat in front of the couple trying to beRead More…
When I look at what is happening around me these days in America, I get deja vu feelings about my childhood. Sometimes it causes me extreme tummy upset and nausea and here is why! My mom and I lived iRead More…