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About

Dr Francis Tanam Djankpa is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Physiology, School of Medical Sciences in the College of Health and Allied Sciences, University of Cape Coast. He doubles as Head of the Department of Physiology and the Chairman of the School of Medical Sciences Research Committee.

He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Zoology (First Class Honors) from the University of Ghana, Legon, which he obtained in 2005. Owing to his passion and zeal to learn more about the functions of the body systems in humans, he proceeded to the University of Ghana School of Medicine and Dentistry (Korle-Bu) to study for an MPhil in Physiology and completed it in 2009.

His seasoned teaching and research experience started in March 2010 when he was first appointed as a Lecturer to teach Human Physiology to undergraduate medical students at the University of Cape Coast School of Medical Sciences. With a growing passion to unravel the mysteries of the human body focusing on the Nervous System, he successfully enrolled in the Neuroscience Programme at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Maryland, USA in 2012, where he obtained his PhD in Neurosciences in 2018. Since then, he returned to the University of Cape Coast and has been teaching Physiology and Neuroscience modules at the School of Medical Sciences to undergraduate medical students. Furthermore, Dr Djankpa supervises and mentors students at the University of Cape Coast while mentoring and supporting young Ghanaian graduates who have neuroscience aspirations by exposing them to molecular and cellular research to give them a strong grounding for further studies in this field. 

Dr Djankpa doubles as a Physiologist and a Neuroscientist with a keen research interest centering around the effects of environmental toxins on brain development and body functions; the environmental and occupational health of workers in pollution-prone industries; the effect of traditional head molding on brain development in infants; the pathophysiology of neurodevelopmental disorders and the effect of cerebral malaria infection on brain function. He is the lead investigator at the Department of Physiology Research Laboratory, which he established in 2018. The Laboratory focuses mainly on multidisciplinary research including Neuroscience Research. 

Dr Djankpa is happily married to Mrs. Gladys Djankpa and they have three (3) children. 

Focus & expertise

Recent activity

📅
Conference Oct 2021

15th Biennial Society of Neuroscientists of Africa (SONA) Meeting

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Conference Jul 2021

13th Teaching Tools Workshop in Neuroscience

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Conference Jul 2019

13th IBRO Canadian School of Neuroscience

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Conference Jul 2019

13th Canadian Association of Neuroscience Meeting

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Conference Nov 2017

Nanosymposium at the Society for Neuroscience Meeting

Background

🎓 Education & qualifications

Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience

University of Maryland

2017

Master of Philosophy in Human Physiology

University of Ghana

2009

Intercalated Bachelor of Science in Zoology

University of Ghana

2005

Career & positions

Head of Department

Department of Physiology

Aug, 2020 to Aug, 2024

Head of Department

Department of Physiology

Aug, 2024 to Aug, 2025

Teaching & projects

My goal is to stimulate learning interests by encouraging students to transform and reflect on instructional content to make meaning out of it by a way of self-directed learning. My philosophy of teaching is the Learner-Centered-Teaching Approach, as inspired by Benjamin Franklin’s saying, “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn”. I believe engaging students to learn by teaching themselves, undertaking exercises of problem-solving and capstone experiences, they can synthesize and demonstrate mastery of content. Consistently throughout the teaching and learning process, I employ self-evaluation, peer-review, and transfer of learning assessment techniques to modify teaching and learning activities. I am successful in achieving a positive outcome of work which helps to build a good rapport between myself and the students and improves overall student performance through giving constructive and timely feedback on students' activities or actions. As an educator of physiology and neuroscience, I endeavor to guide my students in understanding principles at molecular and cellular structural levels of human physiology and neurosciences and the relationship between these structures and human functioning. I utilize tools of this digital era in making teaching and learning resources easily accessible to students via innovative and stress-free means that encourage effective initiatives in learning. Over the years, I have held unto my ideal teaching philosophy of rekindling the interest of learning in students, whiles continuously improving my techniques that enrich teaching content as the data informs according to modern trends. I strongly believe effective learning is achievable by using active, cooperative, and integrated teaching and learning systems that put my students at the center. 

Teaching philosophy

Publications ORCID 0000-0002-0924-0364 →

Assessment of lung function and pulmonary disorders among women involved in palm kernel oil processing in Cape Coast, Ghana journal article

Engagements

📅 Conferences attended

2021 15th Biennial Society of Neuroscientists of Africa (SONA) Meeting Oral Presenter in Nanosymposium · Accra, Ghana
2021 13th Teaching Tools Workshop in Neuroscience Teacher and Mentor · Accra, Ghana
2019 13th IBRO Canadian School of Neuroscience Participant · Montreal, Canada
2019 13th Canadian Association of Neuroscience Meeting Poster Presenter · Toronto, Canada
2017 Nanosymposium at the Society for Neuroscience Meeting Participant and Oral Presenter · Washington DC
2016 Society for Neuroscience Meeting Participant and Poster Presenter · San Diego, USA.
2015 Society for Neuroscience Meeting Participant and Poster Presenter · Washington DC
2011 4th Teaching Tools Workshop in Neurosciences and Learner Centered Teaching Pedagogy Local Organizer and Teaching Assistant · Cape Coast, Ghana
2010 3rd Teaching Tools Workshop in Neurosciences and Learner Centered Teaching Pedagogy Participant · Nairobi, Kenya
2010 1st Annual Society of Neuroscientists of Africa Conference Participant · Nairobi, Kenya
2010 Problem-Based Learning Workshop organized by the School of Medical Sciences, University of Cape Coast Participant · Cape Coast, Ghana
2008 Workshop on “Guide to Grant Proposal Writing” Participant · College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Ghana
2007 1st Annual Scientific Conference of the College of Health Sciences Participant, and Oral Presenter · University of Ghana, Ghana

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