Center for
Global Health

International Scholar

Languages: English (Fluent), French (Fluent), Twi (Fluent), Dagbani (Fluent), Mampruli (Fluent)

Bio statement

Dr. Princess Ruhama Acheampong is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Health Promotion and Disability Studies, School of Public Health, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana. She teaches both undergraduate and postgraduate students in Health Promotion, Public Health Nutrition, Community Health, and Social and Behavioural Change Communication. Her interest in global health is grounded in advancing equitable access to quality healthcare, strengthening health systems, and building a resilient and inclusive health workforce, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

Her work spans maternal and child health, universal health coverage, public health nutrition, digital health, gender and health equity, and implementation science, along with research in malaria, epidemiology, health interventions for disadvantaged communities, community mobilization, research uptake, health education, and mHealth. She has expertise in both quantitative and qualitative research methods and is particularly interested in the use of theories and models to design and implement health interventions. For her PhD, she developed a theory-based nutrition intervention aimed at improving the nutritional status of children under five in rural communities, and her interest in this area deepened after receiving training in Implementation Science from the Implementation Science Institute during her summer fellowship with Penn's Center for Global Health. She currently holds a KNUST early career seed grant for a mixed-methods study assessing the feasibility of an implementation science tool in an urban slum in Kumasi.

Through her roles in research, teaching, international partnerships, and health workforce development, Dr. Acheampong contributes to collaborative initiatives connecting African institutions with global partners to generate evidence, strengthen capacity, and translate research into practice and policy. She has coordinated several exchange programs in Ghana, including one between Penn Engineering and KNUST. She currently serves as the International Partnerships Lead for the Mastercard Foundation Africa Health Collaborative at KNUST and as the KNUST Lead for the Women in Global Health Leadership Fellowship. She is also an International Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Global Health, a role that has provided opportunities to foster meaningful partnerships, mentor emerging health leaders, support women's leadership in global health, and contribute to innovative approaches to addressing Africa's health challenges. She is passionate about collaborative research and mentoring young women from disadvantaged populations.

Recent global health projects

Sepsis is a leading cause of morbidity, mortality, and healthcare utilization for children worldwide, particularly in resource-limited regions. In Kumasi, Ghana, organ system failure and mortality in children who present to the emergency department (ED) with symptoms of sepsis are often due to late presentation and lack of recognition and implementation of time-critical evidence-based interventions. The purpose of this study was to assess the barriers and facilitators for families in seeking healthcare for their septic children and to understand the barriers and facilitators for ED providers in Kumasi to recognize and implement sepsis bundle interventions.

Currently involved in studying the determinants of health in the further development of an intervention that seeks to improve health-seeking behavior in urban informal settlements of the Ashanti Region of Ghana. This is essential in preparedness for future pandemics and other issues of public health importance.

Selected publications

Gyakobo MK, Kusi Amponsah A, Owusu-Ansah M, Agbeko AE, Okyere P, Singh A, Nolen A, Goldman A, Wortzman R, Shamon S, Meuser J, Mazzotta P, Whitehead K, Bahammam S, Acheampong PR, Boadu EA, Mensah KA, Owusu-Dabo E, Wilson J, Rouleau K and Wentlandt K (2026) From co-creation to practice: a collaborative program strengthening palliative care capacity in primary health care in Ghana. Front. Med. 13:1848734. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2026.1848734

Denny VC, Amisah J, Appiah JA, Woods-Hill CZ, Wolfe HA, Nettey G, Acheampong PR, Owusu L, Cassidy K, Sanseau E, Zhang B, James EJG, Nadkarni VM. Pediatric Emergency Department Care for Septic Shock in Sub-Saharan Africa: Single-Center Outcomes Before-Vs.-After Implementation of a Telesimulation Program, 2023-2024. Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2026 Jul 1;27(7):806-815. doi: 10.1097/PCC.0000000000003941. Epub 2026 Apr 2. PMID: 41925728; PMCID: PMC13317893.

Bosompem, B.O., Twum, P., Acheampong, P.R. et al. Assessment of violence against patients by healthcare providers at the point of service delivery in Sekyere south district. BMC Health Serv Res 26, 1161 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-026-14951-y

Adangabe, E., Idan, J.S., Cheabu, B.S.N. et al. Prevalence and factors associated with tuberculosis recurrence among key vulnerable populations in the Ashanti region, Ghana. BMC Infect Dis (2026). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-026-14249-8

Denny VC, Appiah JA, Nadkarni VM, et al. Barriers and facilitators when seeking healthcare for septic children in Ghana: a single-centre qualitative study of patient caregivers and emergency department clinicians BMJ Paediatrics Open 2024;8:e002814. doi: 10.1136/bmjpo-2024-002814

Acquah-Gyan E, Acheampong PR, Mohammed A, Adjei TK, Agyapong E, Twumasi-Ankrah S, et al. (2022) User experiences of a mobile phone-based health information and surveillance system (mHISS): A case of caregivers of children under-five in rural communities in Ghana. PLoS ONE 17(1): e0261806. https://doi. org/10.1371/journal.pone.0261806

Adjei TK, Mohammed A, Acheampong PR, Acquah-Gyan E, Sylverken A, Twumasi-Ankrah S, et al. (2021) Determinants of a mobile phone-based Interactive Voice Response (mIVR) system for monitoring childhood illnesses in a rural district of Ghana: Empirical evidence from the UTAUT model. PLoS ONE 16(3): e0248363. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0248363

Mohammed, A., Acheampong, P.R., Otupiri, E. et al. Mobile phone short message service (SMS) as a malaria control tool: a quasi-experimental study. BMC Public Health 19, 1193 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-7336-6

Last Updated: 27 August 2026