Susan Ofori-Atta
Ghanaian physician (1917–1985) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Susan Barbara Gyankorama Ofori-Atta, also de Graft-Johnson, DRCOG, DRCPCH, FGA (1917 – July 1985) was a Ghanaian medical doctor – the first female doctor on the Gold Coast.[1][2][3][4][5] She was the first Ghanaian woman and fourth West African woman to earn a university degree.[1][2][6] Ofori-Atta was also the third West African woman to become a physician after the Nigerians Agnes Yewande Savage (1929) and Elizabeth Abimbola Awoliyi (1938).[7][8][9][10] In 1933, Sierra Leonean political activist and higher education pioneer, Edna Elliot-Horton became the second West African woman university graduate and the first to earn a bachelor's degree in the liberal arts.[1] Eventually Ofori-Atta became a medical officer-in-charge at the Kumasi Hospital, and later, she assumed in charge of the Princess Louise Hospital for Women.[1] Her contemporary was Matilda J. Clerk, the second Ghanaian woman and fourth West African woman to become a physician, who was also educated at Achimota and Edinburgh.[1] Ofori-Atta was made an Honorary Doctor of Science by the University of Ghana for her work on malnutrition in children, and received the Royal Cross from Pope John Paul II when he visited Ghana in 1980, in recognition of her offering of free medical services at her clinic.[11] She helped to establish the Women's Society for Public Affairs and was a Foundation Fellow of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences.[12] Her achievements were a symbol of inspiration to aspiring women physicians in Ghana.[12]
Susan Ofori-Atta | |
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Born | Susan Barbara Gyankorama Ofori-Atta 1917 Kyebi, Ghana |
Died | July 1985 (aged 67–68) |
Nationality | Ghanaian |
Alma mater | |
Occupation | Physician |
Known for | |
Spouse | E. V. C. de Graft-Johnson |
Parents |
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Relatives |
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Awards | Royal Cross |
Medical career | |
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Scientific career | |
Institutions | University of Ghana Medical School |