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Dr. Bismark Y. Sarfo

Dr. Bismark Y. Sarfo
Snr.Lecturer / Head of Department
bsarfo@ug.edu.gh / sbismark@yahoo.com

Academic Qualifications

  • Academic Qualifications
  • PhD (University of Ghana),
  • MPH(University of Georgia, USA),
  • BSc (University of Ghana)

Research Interests

I have profound interest in infectious diseases research. Over the last decade, I have conducted research into host immune defense against infectious diseases of parasites such as malaria, leishmaniasis, and trypanosomiasis, as a graduate student and also as a postdoctoral research fellow, in Africa and the USA. Furthermore, having worked with the HIV/AIDS Surveillance Unit of the Georgia Department of Public Health in the USA, with the Medical Monitoring Project (MMP), I garnered invaluable skills and interest in HIV/AIDS research, especially with patients receiving anti-retroviral therapy. In light of the above backgrounds, I am particularly interested in data driven epidemiological, immunological and laboratory based research into infectious diseases, especially HIV/AIDS and malaria. Ultimately, I am interested in public health and translational research studies that will provide new information and insights which will help in the improvement of patients receiving treatment, and also increase the understanding of the biology underlying the outcome of these diseases.

Selected Recent Publications

  • Ndumiso Tshuma, Keith Muloongo, Lucy Chimoyi, Geoffrey Setswe, Bismark Sarfo, Peter Nyasulu (2014). Factors related to HIV related stigma among commuter populations in Johannesburg, South Africa. Global Health Action (In press)
    Damien T Punguyire, Emmanuel Mahama, Timothy Letsa, Patricia Akweongo, Bismark Sarfo (2014). Factors associated with syphilis screening uptake among pregnant women in health facilities in Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana. Maternal Health, Neonatology and Perinatology (In Press)
  • Keith Muloongo, Ndumiso Tshuma, Lucy Chimoyi, , Geoffrey Setswe, Bismark Sarfo, Peter Nyasulu (2014). Factors contributing to home-based acceptability of rapid testing for Human Immunodeficiency Virus infection among inner city mobile population in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Manuscript submitted to the Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Journal)
  • Ndumiso Tshuma, Keith Muloongo Geoffrey Setswe, Lucy Chimoyi, Bismark Sarfo, Dina Burger, Peter S. Nyasulu (2014). Potential barriers to rapid testing for Human Immunodeficiency Virus among the inner city mobile population in Johannesburg, South Africa (Manuscript submitted to the International Journal of Public Health and Epidemiology)
  • Bismark Sarfo, Nana Wilson, Vincent Bond, Jonathan Stiles (2011). Plasmodium berghei ANKA Infection Increases Foxp3, IL-10 and IL-2 in CXCL-10 Deficient C57BL/6 mice. Malaria Journal, 10:69
  • Henry B. Armah, Nana Wilson, Bismark Y. Sarfo, Michael D. Powell, Vincent C. Bond, Winston Anderson, Andrew A. Adjei, Richard K. Gyasi, Yao Tettey, Edwin K. Wiredu, Venkatachalam Udhayakumar and Jonathan K. Stiles (2007). Cerebrospinal fluid and serum biomarkers of cerebral malaria mortality in Ghanaian children. Malaria Journal, 6:147
  • Bismark Y. Sarfo, Henry B. Armah, Ikovwaiza Irune, Andrew A. Adjei, Christine S. Olver, Shailesh Singh, James W. Lillard, and Jonathan K. Stiles (2005). Plasmodium yoelii 17XL infection upregulates RANTES, CCR1, CCR3 and CCR5 expression, and induces ultrastructural changes in the cerebellum. Malaria Journal. 4:63.
  • Sarfo BY, Singh S, Lillard JW, Quarshie A, Gyasi RK, Armah H, Adjei AA, Jolly P and Stiles JK, (2004). The cerebral-malaria-associated expression of RANTES, CCR3 and CCR5 in post-mortem tissue samples. Ann Trop Med Parasitol. 98(3):297-303.
  • Jacqueline M, Hibbert, Lewis L. Hsu, Sam Bhathena, Ikovwa Irune, Bismark Y. Sarfo, Melissa Creary, Beatrice E. Gee, Ali I. Mohamed, Iris Buchanan and Jonathan K. Stiles, (2005). Metabolic stress and proinflammatory cytokines in children with sickle cell anemia. Exp Biol Med 230:68-74.
  • Stiles JK, Whittaker J, Sarfo BY, Thompson WE, Powell MD and Bond VC, (2004). Trypanosome apoptotic factor mediates apoptosis in human brain vascular endothelial cells. Mol Biochem Parasitol. 133(2):229-240.
  • Stiles JK, Kucerova Z, Sarfo B, Meade CA, Thompson W, Shah P, Xue L and Meade JC, (2003). Identification of surface-membrane P-type ATPases resembling fungal K(+)- and Na(+)-ATPases, in Trypanosoma brucei, Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania donovani. Ann Trop Med Parasitol. 97(4):351-366.