Personal circumstances lead the way to a passionate career in nephrology research
Mr. Mawutor Kwame Ahiabu had his career in science planned from early on, however, it was personal circumstances that led to him choosing his specialism of Nephrology and is fuelling his current research in the Greater Accra region of Ghana.
As part of our RARE Nephrology extended content we are delighted to welcome Mr. Ahiabu as our guest blogger.
Mr. Mawutor Kwame Ahiabu.
Technical Research Assistant at
CSIR – Water Research Institute.
Kidney & Rare Disease Advocate
Rare Disease Ghana Initiative
A career in science has always been my aim as an individual. The prospect of understanding and answering questions about human life and existence inspired my choice of biomedical and molecular biology. Most often, scientists are motivated by personal life experiences when deciding to pursue a particular field of interest — I am no exception to this.
My journey in biology began with my admiration and curiosity of the anatomy and physiology of the circulatory system. Although studying this biology and the circulatory system were intriguing, I still needed the spark that would motivate my choice of study in my scientific career. This was attained when I had an unfortunate but career driven encounter with acute renal failure. A three-month battle with acute renal failure triggered my interest in the field of nephrology.
In my country, young students that show an interest in biology are most often encouraged to pursue a career in medicine. But I preferred to be an active research scientist because of my curiosity and urge for discovery. Thus I opted to study molecular biology and biotechnology which I believed will equip me with the skills and knowledge in my life as researcher in nephrology.
“A three-month battle with acute renal failure triggered my interest in the field of nephrology.“
My research is focused on characterisation of renal genes and other molecular markers that are specific to individuals with rare nephrological diseases. This study, to be undertaken in the Greater Accra region of Ghana, will take into consideration other genetic diseases that interrupts the physiology of the kidneys. With an overall aim of determining genetic variations among diseased individuals, the study will also describe the prevalence and the genetic basis of rare nephrological diseases in the region.
There is no doubt that the journey of a scientist is a long and grumpy one but my experience with acute renal failure keeps motivating me to make a significant contribution to the field of nephrology thus helping affected people.
