Dr. Isabella Opoku, a young female Ghanaian Resident Neurosurgeon has been gazetted by the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS); the highest Neurosurgical Organization in the world. Based on multiple recommendations, she achieved this great and commendable feat even before completing her specialization program marking this as the first time the WFNS has gazetted someone before completion of the specialization program.
The Ghanaian resident neurosurgeon was gazetted with other experienced neurosurgeons including world renowned neurosurgeon and Director of Moscow Burdenko Institute of Neurosurgery; Dr. Alexander Konovalov who has practiced neurosurgery for the past 65 years. Dr. Konovalov has been Vice-President of the European Association of Neurosurgical Societies twice and has also been elected as the Vice-President of the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies on two occasions.
Dr. Mahmood Qureshi the current President of Continental Association of African Neurosurgical Societies (CAANS) together with two other young certified neurosurgeons Dr. Andrew Nyaoncha from Kenya and Dr. Regunath Kandasamy from Malaysia were also gazetted.
The WFNS comprises five continental associations of neurosurgeons namely, American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), Asian Australasian Society of Neurological Surgeons (AASNS), Continental Association of African Neurosurgical Societies (CAANS), European Association of Neurosurgical Societies (EANS) and Latin American Federation of Neurosurgical Societies/Federación Latinoamericana de Neurocirugia (FLANC).
An old student of St. Roses Senior High School (SHS) in Ghana, Dr. Isabella Opoku is currently at the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies’ (WFNS) accredited training Hospital in Beijing; China International Neuroscience Institute and is set to complete her specialization program and doctoral (PhD) program in neurosurgery at the end of the year 2022. She obtained her Medical Degree (MD) from the Federal University of Bahia in Brazil.