1. ACADEMIC BIO: MR. CHRISTIAN AMOAH

CHRISTIAN AMOAH is a lecturer with the Department of Behavioral Sciences, with a specialization in Clinical Psychology at the School of Medical Sciences and Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) for that matter. He earned his B.Sc. and M.Phil. in Psychology (Clinical option) in 1993 and 1999 respectively from the University of Ghana. He joined the department in December 2002 and is the immediate past head of the department (2010 – 2012).

AREA OF EXPERTISE:

He is a senior Consulting Clinical Psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry under the directorate of Medicine at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH). His services generally include Psycho diagnostics/ psychometric assessments; individual and group psychotherapy and counseling. He thus counsels and provides preventive as well as follow–up psychotherapy for suicidal patients. He also provides liaison and adjunct psychotherapy for patients on the medical, surgical wards, and accident and emergency center at KATH. He has great expertise in stress management, family therapy, and crisis intervention. He is also very good with the provision of psychotherapy for all kinds of addiction, especially drugs.

Also as a Consulting Clinical Psychologist, he has for over fourteen years been devoting much of his waking hours to providing counseling and psychotherapeutic services for patients of varying age groups from all over the teaching Hospital, K.N.U.S.T, and Kumasi metropolis. He has thus provided counseling services for patients who attempt suicide, patients undergoing surgery and/or needing emergency procedures at the accident and emergency center at KATH, and patients having difficulty accepting and following treatment regimes. In individual therapy, he mainly provides Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for patients experiencing all kinds of symptoms including anxiety, mood disorders, and psychosomatic symptoms. Moreover, he provides support in terms of family and marital therapy as well as stress management sessions and other psychotherapy for patients, staff, and relatives of both KATH and KNUST.

As part of my work as a consulting psychologist, I do answer a lot of referral questions with psychological assessments (psychometrics) from various consultants in KATH. Some of these questions have been to help with some diagnosis, measurement of treatment outcomes, and for placement of children with mental disability in various mental institutions.

TEACHING AND RESEARCH INTERESTS:

He has since joining the department been handling Behavioral Sciences at the School of Medical Sciences. He also has been contributing to his department’s service teaching by handling Behavioral Sciences for Nursing, Laboratory Technology, and Sports and Exercises Science in the Faculty of Allied Health as well as recently MSc audiology (2015/16) in the EENT department, KATH. He also lectures Human Psychology for Doctor of Optometry in the Faculty of Sciences to date.

His academic/ research interests include but not limited to:

• Counseling Support for Infertile Couple receiving In-vitro Fertilization (IVF) services (Current Ph.D. Thesis)
• Internet Addiction (Ongoing research)
• Risky HIV cognitions (ideas, behaviors, and attitudes, etc.) in Ghanaian youth – the case of Senior Secondary Schools (SSS) Students in Kumasi (ongoing)
• Children and Adolescents with HIV/ AIDs in Ghana etc
• Behavioral change (for motor traffic accidents, corruption, HIV/ AIDs prevention, etc.) and Preventive Health Behaviors
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety disorders and Drug addiction,
• Psychometrics (test standardization) and Stress management
• Music therapy; Exploring the healing properties of Music and as an adjunct therapy
• Counseling Support for Childless Couples and patient undergoing IVF
• Stress, coping and Counseling Support

6. RESEARCH OUTPUT

Enimil, A.,Nugent. N., Amoah. C., Norman, B., Antwi, S.,Ocran,J., Kwara, A., and Barker, D.H (2015) ; Quality of life among Ghanaian adolescents living with perinatally acquired HIV: a mixed-methods study, AIDS Care, DOI: 10.1080/09540121.2015.1114997.

Internet Use and Addiction among K.N.U.S.T School of Medical Sciences and Dentistry (KSMD) students - a preliminary study in Ghana JELT, DOI:10.38159/jelt.2020062. Published on 15^th July, 2020.

Covid-19 response in Ghana; missed preventive behavioral opportunities and lessons through relevant Behavioural/ attitudinal change conceptual frameworks and theories. Accepted for publication.

A preliminary psychometric assessment of the attitude of tertiary health trainee undergraduate students towards breast - self-examination in Ghana. Accepted for publication

Breast self-examination performance, correlates and predictors of its attitude among KNUST health trainee undergraduate students – a follow up report. Accepted for publication.

Major Challenges in finding the best Global Bereavement Model in general and for in-vitro fertilization (IVF) related perinatal loss in particular – Submitted for review and publication.

Internet Use and Addiction among Tertiary students – the case of KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana – A follow up study. Completed.

Co-Authorships

Adageba R.K, Amoah C., Annan J. J Damalie F.J, & Appiah – Konadu E : The prevalence of obesity among women seeking treatment for sub-fertility at the Ruma fertility and specialist hospital, Kumasi, Ghana – Submitted for review and publication.

Adageba R.K, Maya E.T., Dassah E.D & Amoah C. Assisted conception treatment outcomes in Sub Saharan Africa: A five year retrospective review of outcomes from a fertility hospital in Kumasi. Ghana.

GRANTSMANSHIP

Submitted 2 proposals for KNUST Research Funding (KReF) with the KNUST Office of Grants and Research (OGR) as follows;

A study of the psychological and sociocultural impact of Di-Asa, a TV dancing reality competition for Ghanaian plus size market women – for interdisciplinary grant on 30^th September, 2020.

Internet use and addiction among KNUST students – A follow – up study – for seed funding on 30^th September, 2020.

SERVICE TO COMMUNITY

1. Served as Head of Behavioral Sciences Department, School of Medical Sciences from 2010 - 2012
2. Acting Head of Dept, Nursing Dept (Faculty of Allied Health) from March – September, 2008
3. Examinations officer for my department form 2004 – 2010 and from 2012 to date.
4. Served on faculty and college boards and as ressource Person for talks and programs at KATH in -service training
5. Served as the coordinator for K.N.U.S.T School of Medical Sciences mentoring program from its inception to 2020.
6. Currently serves as a member of KSMD Students Counseling committee, 2020 – to date
7. Currently serves as a member of KSMD Students’ mentorship committee, 2020 – to date
8. Currently serves as a member of KSMD Research and Conference planning Committee, 2020 – to date
9. Currently serves as a member of KSMD Accreditation committee MBCHB programme, 2020 – to date
10. Currently serves as a member of KSMD website committee, March 23rd to date.
11. Departmental representative on the KSMD Space Allocation committee, since 22nd September to date.
12. Part of one of KSMD panels to interview applicants for Human Biology intakes since 2017 to date.
13. Served as a reviewer for a proposal for funding titled “INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE AMONG HIV POSITIVE WOMEN IN ASHANTI REGION GHANA presented to KNUST Research Fund (KRef) at the KNUST Office of Grant and Research ; December 2015.
14. Part of a committee to review Ghana Medical and Dental Council Fitness to Practice Document set up by the Dean, School of Medical Sciences in June 2012.
15. Moderated several of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences examination questions for All Nation, Data Link and Garden City University colleges - KNUST’s affiliated colleges since 2017.
16. Provide Music and Sound Engineering for various CoHS and SMD’s functions (e.g. CoHS Provost’s Breakfast for Senior Members in 2019 and 2020, etc.).

CONTACT DETAILS

MOBILE                                  : +233 265 511 399

EMAIL                                     : camoah.chs@knust.edu.gh

                                                              camoah5@gmail.com.