Dr Francis Ali-Osman has been appointed, among other members, to advise President Obama, the US Secretary of Health and Human Service and the Director of the National Cancer Institute on a wide range of issues relating to the US national cancer programme.
Momentum has been steadily growing in the US for an acceleration of cancer research, including brain tumours, driven largely by Vice President Joe Biden’s Cancer Moonshot initiative. Biden lost his son Beau to a brain tumour last year.
“It is a great honour because very few people are privileged to have this opportunity,” said Dr Ali-Osman
He is currently Professor of Neuro-Oncology Research at the Duke University School of Medicine in the USA and has over 25 years of experience in the field.
“If President Obama was able to appoint me as a member of the US National Cancer Advisory Board, then I believe I have a lot to offer,” Dr Ali-Osman said.
The Ghanaian professor also explained that Ghana and Africa needed their own research on cancer to ensure effective treatment, since “although the disease is the same, it differs in race by the genes.”
President Obama said: “I am honored that these talented individuals have decided to serve our country. They bring their years of experience and expertise to this Administration, and I look forward to working with them.”
In the US, Dr Ali-Osman has served in a variety of positions, including Assistant Professor and Director of Brain Tumour Research at the University of Washington School of Medicine and Senior Investigator and Chief Scientific Officer at the Hipple Cancer Research Centre at the Wright State University School of Medicine.