By April Cashin-Garbutt

Entering the lush green campus of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Jessica Broni-Tabi immediately felt the contrast from the cosmopolitan capital of Ghana. Originally planned as a holiday to visit family in Accra, SWC Histology Research Scientist Jessica transformed her trip into a meaningful engagement with the academic community at KNUST, fostering knowledge exchange and inspiring future scientists.

A serendipitous reunion

Many years ago, Jessica worked at UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology (ION). It was there she met a fellow histology expert Naa-Anyima Boateng. While their time working together at ION was brief, Jessica and Naa-Anyima built a strong bond and supported one another.

Following their time at ION, their careers took different paths. Jessica progressed to University College London Hospital and then SWC. Naa-Anyima, who was looking to raise her family in her home country of Ghana, crossed continents to take up a role as Lecturer and Head of Histopathology Laboratory in the Pathology Department at KNUST.

While setting up the facilities at KNUST, Naa-Anyima was looking for guidance and decided to reach out to her old colleague Jessica for support. After providing advice over email, Jessica decided to offer some of her time during a planned personal visit to Ghana to see family.

Knowledge exchange at KNUST

During her visit to Ghana, Jessica spent a couple of days at KNUST, where she engaged with undergraduate and medical students, faculty members, and the Dean of the Science Faculty. Her trip involved presenting to students, sharing insights about SWC's work in neuroscience, and discussing her role within the histology and microscopy department. Jessica's presentations covered various topics, including the importance of histology in confirming research findings, the use of mice in behavioural experiments, and the advanced facilities available at SWC.

“It was about a six-hour drive from Accra to Kumasi and I was blown away by the wonderful campus. The students were all very respectful and we discussed many things from basic research, animal welfare, education and career opportunities,” commented Jessica.

"Jessica’s visit and presentation to our Medical Laboratory Scientist Students has made a significant impact, by expanding their horizons and opening up new career possibilities. It's fantastic that they are now considering academia and research, which can offer such fulfilling and impactful paths. This shift in mindset could lead to great things for both our students and the broader medical community within Ghana," commented Naa-Anyima.

In addition to sharing her expertise with students, Jessica also toured the laboratories at KNUST and advised on histology techniques, including safety protocols. 

Sharing a sustainable approach

As part of her visit, Jessica learned more about the challenges KNUST faces in terms of being able to consistently access resources for the lab. Most items like chemicals, instrumentation, and glassware need to be imported as they are not made in Ghana. This means that Naa-Anyima and the team have to plan well in advance and also have to think outside the box when faced with challenges.

“Getting high-quality consistent consumables in Ghana is a challenge. This can lead to problems with processing tissues as small differences, such as using an alcohol from a different manufacturer, can lead to changes,” explained Jessica. Despite the challenges, it was clear from Jessica’s visit how sustainable the laboratories at KNUST are. This observation led Jessica to consider practices at SWC and potential ways to improve our sustainability.

Future collaborations

Jessica’s visit has paved the way for future collaborations between SWC and KNUST. She is currently considering potential opportunities to support KNUST laboratories by donating surplus glassware, chemicals, and consumables from SWC to avoid them going to waste. Jessica is also exploring a potential collaboration with TReND-CaMinA – a computational neuroscience and machine learning summer school in Africa co-organised by SWC PhD student Tom George.

Banner image features Naa-Anyima Boateng surrounded by her students at KNUST.