HSA Committee
Frank Obeng Addae
Frank Obeng Addae is a Ghanaian who obtained his bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry, Cell, and Molecular Biology from the University of Ghana in 2021. He is currently a Ph.D. student in the Biological Sciences in Public Health program at Harvard University, working under the mentorship of Professor Manoj Duraisingh. He is also a candidate in the Therapeutics Graduate Program at Harvard Medical School. Frank’s research interests include exploring Plasmodium histone deacetylases as novel targets for antimalarial drugs. Overall, he is very passionate about identifying novel therapeutics to combat infectious diseases and other diseases such as cancer. Outside the lab, Frank is very passionate about leadership, teaching, mentoring, and volunteering, and he seizes every opportunity he gets to make a positive impact in the lives of others. As part of his volunteering activities, he is a mentor to several African students seeking graduate school opportunities in the USA. He is also the treasurer for the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) Students Council for the 2023/2024 academic year where he contributes to advocacy, support, and recognition of graduate students in GSAS. At Afrisnet, Frank serves as a co-chair to the Honors Scholars Academy (HSA) steering committee. Frank is a founder, a leader, a mentor, a teacher, and a positive change driver, and he has won several awards because of his strong personal, social, leadership, and academic credentials. Frank enjoys singing and cooking some local Ghanaian meals as well!
Rebecca Korankye
Rebecca Korankye is a Ghanaian. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, KNUST. She served as a teaching assistant at the Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, KNUST after graduation. She is an alumnus of the Afrisnet Summer Research Internship.
Beryl Kanali
Beryl Kanali is a Masters in Statistics student at Multimedia University of Kenya. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Computer Science. She is interested in the intersection between technology and health. She is passionate about mentorship and serves on the committee of Kamilimu as the Innovation Lead. She is also a champion of research in Africa to help solve problems and put African researchers on the map. She enjoys working out, playing basketball, reading books and watching.
Bismark Acheampong
Bismark Acheampong hails from Ghana. He is a self-motivated individual who passionately seeks to develop and obtain the most invaluable skills for his career objectives as a Professor and a Research Scientist to extend opportunities to underprivileged young scientists. He holds a baccalaureate in Biological Sciences from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi—Ghana. He has diverse research experiences in Neglected Tropical Infectious Diseases (NTDs) that plague parts of Sub-Saharan Africa from his home institution and also in Cell and Developmental Biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) through the Afrisnet competitive summer research program. Gaining this opportunity, he was honored as the first African Male to participate in the UNC Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) in Biological Mechanisms. He looks forward to attaining a doctoral study in cancer biology to improve the African contribution to global cancer research and help develop therapies for cancer patients worldwide.