Prof. Sebastian Eliason is an Associate Professor in Population, Reproductive and Child Health, a Fellow of the Royal Society for Public Health, and a Medical Technology Engineer. He is a proud product of St. Augustine’s College - Cape Coast, University of Ghana Medical School, School of Public Health-University of Ghana, University of Cape Coast and St Bartholomew & the Royal London School of Medicine and Dentistry.
Prof Eliason was appointed in August 2010 to the Department of Community Medicine as a Lecturer. Prior to his appointment as Lecturer, he had worked as a Medical Officer in OBS/Gynae at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital (Formerly, Ridge Hospital), Medical Technology Engineer and Applications Specialist with Hospital Engineering Limited and as a Reproductive Health Specialist with the United Nations Population Fund. His work experience spans a period of twenty-three years, with an appreciable knowledge of the functioning of Ghana’s health system.
He is an experienced University Teacher, ethically-sound industry leader and community health improvement advocate. He has trained Medical Doctors and mentored young faculty to access programmes in Medicine and Public Health, and has built competencies of Ghana’s reproductive and child health workforce to deliver quality care to clients. He is highly driven in his research interest area, mainly, maternal, child and adolescent health and family planning. He also has considerable interest in health systems strengthening, medical technology and disease control and prevention.
As an International Consultant, he has supported all 54 African countries through the African Union and the United Nations Population Fund to review and develop policies and strategies to improve Maternal, Neonatal Child and Adolescent Health in Africa. The current African Union Commission’s Plan of Action 2016-2030 (Maputo Plan of Action), that provides the framework to achieve universal access to Reproductive Health and Rights in Africa, was developed and costed by him. He has also played critical roles in shaping health policies and strategies in Ghana, The Gambia and Africa in General in the areas of Obstetric Fistula, Emergency Obstetric and Neonatal Care (EMoNC), Family Planning and Reproductive Health Commodity Security.
Sebastian secured UNFPA funding of $2.5Million to support Ghana’s reproductive health commodities stocks during the period of the “Gag Rule” in 2007. This singular effort prevented an imminent shortage of contraceptives and other commodities in Ghana. He has supported DRIC to secure funding of nearly $900,000 for base-line studies to improve maternal, child and adolescent health and nutrition in the Upper East, Northern and Upper West regions of Ghana.
Prof. Sebastian Eliason has 30 publications to his credit (including peer reviewed journal articles, technical reports, and abstracts). As an astute Academic and College Administrator, his passion is in building capacities of the next generation of scholars, health workforce and health systems to help solve Ghana’s health problems in particular and those of Africa in general, through scientific research collaborations and strategic partnerships.
