Josephine Agyeman-Duah named PhD Student of the Year

Josephine Agyeman-Duah (DPhil Women’s and Reproductive Health, 2018) has been named PhD Student of the year by FindAPhD as part of an award scheme run by FindAUniversity.

Josephine’s DPhil project seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of a neurodevelopmental assessment tool for children born preterm. The judges were impressed with Josephine’s research and its meaningful contribution to improving care for preterm infants during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

She works as part of the INTERGROWTH-21st research group, which is dedicated to improving perinatal health, developing new fetal and newborn growth standards, and providing tools for continuity of care from conception to 5 years old. The network is led by Governing Body Fellow Stephen Kennedy.

Josephine said in her acceptance remarks, ‘Winning the award has both inspired and challenged me to do more for society. It tells me that all that we do in this life, people are watching and so we always have to put our best foot forward.’

Alongside with her studies, Josephine has spearheaded a number of college-wide initiatives. These include establishing a Black Students’ Society, leading a Black History Month celebration Sankofa and curating a library collection Maarifa to address racism and to be proactive about self-education for a more diverse, inclusive and enriching environment. She also recently won a Race Equality award at the Oxford Student Union Awards 2022.

Watch Josephine’s acceptance remarks on YouTube

Green Templeton congratulates Josephine on this award.