Prof Samuel Bert Boadi-Kusi is a Professor of Optometry at the Department of Clinical Optometry, School of Optometry and Vision Science, College of Health and Allied Sciences at the University of Cape Coast. He has special interest in clinical optometry, environmental and occupational optometry, public health optometry and health policy and advocacy. He has served the University of Cape Coast for the past 14 years. He is currently the Dean of the Office of International Relations at the University of Cape Coast and the Chairman of the Network for International Office Practitioner (NIOP) in Africa, an interest group under the African Network of International Education (ANIE).
He holds a PhD in Optometry from the University of Kwazulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa, MPhil in Population and Health, Doctor of Optometry (OD) and a BSc in Ophthalmic Science all from the University of Cape Coast, Ghana. Prof Boadi-Kusi also holds a Professional Certificate in Low Vision from the College of Optometry and a Diploma in Human Resource Management (Single Subject) form the Institute of Commercial Management all from the United Kingdom. He also attended the Pan African Institute for Leadership and Governance Studies, Accra where he obtained an Advanced Executive Certificate in Marketing, Customer Care & Selling. He also went through an Executive Masters Course on Board Management from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Accra. Prof Boadi-Kusi has also undergone a number of trainings in leadership and advocacy training and benefitted from staff trainings on several Erasmus+ projects on internationalisation of higher education in Ghana and abroad. All these have empowered him and broadened his knowledge and endowed him with competencies to understand global perspectives in higher education and internationalisation of higher education.
Prior to his current position as the Dean of the Office of International Relations at the University of Cape Coast, Prof Boadi-Kusi had served as the acting Dean and the Vice Dean of the same office. He was also the Head of the Department of Optometry and Vision Science. Under his leadership, he led the Department to establish an outpost Eye Clinic at the Cape Coast Technical University (a joint venture between the University of Cape Coast and the Cape Coast Technical University) to provide eyecare to the university communities and its environs and to provide more clinical spaces for the training of students. He had previously served as the Clinic Coordinator for the Department of Optometry and Vision Science. He also served as an Academic Advisor and a Departmental Registration and Examination Officer at the same Department.
Prof Boadi-Kusi has served on a number of Councils, Boards and Committees within and outside the University of Cape Coast. Key among them is the Governing Council of the University of Cape Coast where has served cumulatively for five years, four years as the representative of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) and one year as the representative of the Students Representative Council (SRC). He serves on the Academic Board of the University and is the representative of UTAG on the Ghana Universities Superannuation Scheme Board of UCC. He served as a member of the 2016 Statute Review Committee, Academic Board Committee on the Review of the SRC Constitution, Committee on the Transitional Arrangements for Principal Officers of the University, Anti-Encroachment Committee of UCC Council, Board of Students Affairs, UCC (Academic Board Representative), Appointments and Promotions Committee of the Department of Optometry, School Board of the School of Allied Health Sciences, Graduate Studies Committee of the School of Allied Health Sciences, among others. He has consulted on a number of projects in eyecare and has served as an external examiner for a number of universities in Africa including the University of Kwazulu-Natal, University of Johannesburg, University of Free State, all in South Africa, University of Rwanda, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana and Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology Kenya” MMUST, Kenya. He has also been a member of accreditation panels for National Accreditation Board (now Ghana Tertiary Education Commission) and also an accreditation panel member and an examiner for the Allied Health Professions Council.
Professionally, Prof Boadi-Kusi is a licensed Optometrist, and he is currently the President of the Ghana Optometric Association. He served on the Governing Board of the Allied Health Professions Council (AHPC) under the Ministry of Health of Ghana and also serves as the representative of Ghana on the African Council of Optometry. He has served on a number of committees in the health sector and contributed to the development of a number of policies in eyecare in Ghana. He was a member of the Professions Specific Committee of the AHPC.
Prof Boadi-Kusi has also been a unionist, serving for two terms as the President of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) UCC Branch and also served as the National Secretary and UCC Secretary of the same association where he championed a number of reforms and improvements in the conditions of service of the members of the association. He contributed to a number of policies in education at both the local and national level. He was also a student leader and served as the President of the Students Representative Council of UCC, National President of the Graduate Students Association of Ghana (GRASAG) and the President of the International Movement of Catholic students (IMCS-Pax Romana). He has made monumental impact through all these leadership positions.
Prof Boadi-Kusi has assisted several journals as a reviewer, attended and presented papers at several conferences locally and internationally. He is an editorial board member of some journals and has over 55 publications to his credit in reputable journals.
