Vanessa Abokoma Quaye

MSc International Health and Tropical Medicine, 2025

Dr Vanessa Abokoma Quaye is a medical doctor from Ghana and a Mastercard Foundation Scholar at the University of Oxford, pursuing an MSc in International Health and Tropical Medicine at the Nuffield Department of Medicine and a member of Green Templeton College. She is passionate about strengthening health systems and advancing equity across Africa through education, leadership, and collaborative policy innovation.

With experience spanning both primary and tertiary healthcare, Vanessa provides patient-centred care in internal medicine, paediatrics, and obstetrics. These encounters revealed the consequences of health illiteracy and inequity, inspiring her drive to make healthcare more understandable and accessible. Her work now extends beyond clinical practice to health-system strengthening, implementation research, and community health leadership. She has contributed to regional studies such as the SABR Study on surgical access in sub-Saharan Africa and research exploring sociocultural attitudes toward breast-cancer reconstruction.

Vanessa is the founder and Executive Director of Medtransitions Ghana, which mentors and equips early-career doctors for clinical excellence, and leads the Step Up Mentoring Programme, training young professionals in leadership and communication. Through The Health Plug Network, she connects communities to credible health information and affordable wellness services, advancing preventive care and public-health awareness.

Her contributions have been recognised by the TIBA Partnership and the West Lion Co 35 Under 35 Female Innovator Award. At Oxford, she is expanding her expertise in implementation science, global health leadership, and policy, working to co-create evidence-based, contextually grounded solutions that improve access, quality, and sustainability of healthcare across Africa.

Contact: vanessa.quaye@gtc.ox.ac.uk