For many professionals today, their younger selves had different dreams and aspirations, but the exigencies of life have a way of steering people toward more impactful professions. These professions, they later discover, are a direct call to achieve one’s purpose, perhaps even to fulfill one’s destiny.
The University of Ghana’s Dr. Naa Adzoa Adzeley Boi-Dsane has one such story. As a Medical Doctor, researcher and advocate for inclusion, she now leads a life dedicated to saving lives in the hospital, contributing to knowledge in the fields of medicine and science and most importantly, empowering persons with hearing impairment to learn, thrive and nurture their own dreams and ambitions.
Dr. Naa Adzoa Adzeley Boi-Dsane did not always dream of becoming a Medical Doctor. In her formative years, she was drawn to Mathematics, a subject she admired for its precision and logical clarity. However, a lack of visible role models in the field left her without the necessary motivation to pursue it as a career. Instead, with the guidance of her mother, she took a different turn, one that would see her making significant strides in medicine, research and advocacy.
“Medicine was the right fit for me because I wanted to challenge myself and help people while exuding excellence,” she reflects. Though she sometimes misses her “first love,” Mathematics, her passion for research has kept her curiosity alive.
As early as her first year in medical school, she sought out research opportunities, determined to contribute new knowledge to the field. This drive led her to study the link between lifestyle choices and gastrointestinal cancers, an area she noted had previously been overlooked in Ghana. Despite scepticism from some faculty members, she successfully completed and published her findings, proving that even ambitious projects could be realised with determination.
With a thriving career in Medicine, Dr. Boi-Dsane challenges the idea that pursuing multiple roles limits expertise. She has mastered the art of effectively and efficiently multitasking, excelling as a doctor, researcher and advocate-trainer.
For Dr. Boi-Dsane, being multifaceted is not a weakness but a strength. She believes versatility enables individuals to achieve excellence in multiple domains rather than being confined to just one.
Her work seamlessly intertwines clinical research, disability advocacy and science communication. “Being a doctor in research allows me to contribute to the scientific community while satisfying my curiosity,” she explains. But her interests extend beyond medicine.
From an early age, she was deeply unsettled by social injustices. Whether it was marching to the headmistress’ office to protest corporal punishment in primary school or writing articles about women in science for The Mirror newspaper, she consistently used her voice to advocate for change.
Her advocacy became even more pronounced when she visited the Demonstration School for the Deaf in Mampong during her medical training. There, she witnessed the glaring communication barriers between the deaf community and healthcare professionals. Determined to bridge the gap, she committed herself to learning sign language, a journey that took six months of rigorous study and daily practice.
“I decided to use the knowledge acquired to create awareness of health conditions using sign language and voice through my YouTube channel, SignWithAdzeley,” she says. Today, her platform has inspired many to learn sign language, while also empowering the deaf community with accessible health information.
As a researcher with the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR), Dr. Boi-Dsane has explored diverse fields, from neonatal hypothermia to vaccine adverse events. Her case report on intussusception was ranked among the top 101 articles in pediatric surgical journals based on Altimetric Attention Scores. “To the best of my knowledge, this was the first known publication of its kind,” she notes.
Her research on gastrointestinal cancers and modifiable risk factors was also groundbreaking, filling a knowledge gap in Ghana. “There wasn’t much African literature on this topic, so I had to create a de novo questionnaire,” she recounts. Her findings established that colorectal cancer was the most common type and that high red meat consumption was associated with increased risk.
Equally impactful was her study on vaccine adverse effects, which provided critical insights during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her work helped address vaccine hesitancy, with her research framework now being cited by scholars worldwide. Most recently, she contributed to a study using machine learning to assess and predict health risks, an innovation that could shape the future of preventive medicine.
“Being a young, Black woman in Science sometimes felt like trying to shatter a ceiling made of titanium,” she admits. “But with every citation and every success, I know I shattered it long ago.”
One of the important aspects of Dr. Boi-Dsane’s work is her advocacy for the deaf community. This stems from her passion for the deaf community, which she is exploring and championing beyond health education. She is a fierce advocate for the inclusion of sign language in educational curricula.
In 2021, she launched an Abacus training programme at the Demonstration School for the Deaf to stimulate interest in STEAM subjects. The programme, now sponsored and training both students and teachers, hosted its first competition in 2025.
“I want to live in a world where accessibility is the norm,” she says. “A world where a deaf student can walk into any classroom and not feel excluded because of a language barrier.”
Her advocacy has also been extended to policy engagement at the University level. She has actively pushed for the University of Ghana to integrate sign language training into healthcare education. She is also lobbying the Ministry of Education to make Ghanaian Sign Language an official language and to institute exchange programmes for deaf students.
Another aspect of Dr. Boi-Dsane’s work is her devotion to science communication. She actively shares her research through various platforms, including national television, to make scientific knowledge more accessible.
She firmly believes that research should not be confined to academic circles. “It’s not enough to conduct groundbreaking studies and let them gather dust in a library,” she asserts. “Scientists must engage the public and policymakers to ensure real impact.”
This conviction is the driving force of her commitment to science communication. Through television appearances, public speaking and writing, she translates complex scientific findings into relatable knowledge for the public. Her ultimate goal is to make research findings widely accessible and to influence evidence-based policymaking.
Looking ahead, she envisions a future where healthcare providers across Ghana are fluent in sign language, where research funding is more accessible and where scientific discoveries drive tangible social change.
“One of the most touching comments I have received was, ‘Continue changing the face of Medicine.’ That’s exactly what I intend to do.”
Dr. Boi-Dsane’s journey is rooted in resilience, advocacy and an unyielding pursuit of excellence and equally serves as an inspiring demonstration of the power of passion-driven change.
By: Vincent Amedzake, Digital and Social Media Manager, University of Ghana [First published on ug.edu.gh]
