Hayford Isaac Budu is a Registered Mental Health Nurse and lecturer at the Department of Nursing, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). Prior to taking up this position, Hayford worked as the substantive Mental Health Tutor at the Psychiatric Nursing Training College, Ankaful, Central Region, Ghana from September 2006 to August 2016 after obtaining his B.A(Hons) Nursing and Psychology from 2003 – 2006 at University of Ghana. Whilst tutoring at the College, Hayford took up part-time teaching position at the Department of Nursing, University of Cape Coast (UCC), Ghana, from 2014 to 2020 after completing his Masters education in the same department between August 2012 and June 2014. He worked as a part-time lecturer at the Department of Nursing until he joined the Department of Nursing, KNUST, in August 2016.

Hayford has contributed meaningfully to developing mental health nursing education and practice in Ghana through initiating the development and sustenance of the BSc Mental Health and Community Health Nursing, University of Cape Coast and Diploma in Community Mental Health Nursing, Psychiatric Nursing Training College, Ankaful, programmes whilst lecturing in these institutions. Graduates from these programmes have been instrumental in addressing contemporary mental health issues in Ghana.

Currently, Hayford has been tasked with the responsibility of developing a mental health programme for Bachelor of Science (BSc) and the Masters (MPhil and MSc) at the Department of Nursing, KNUST, as the department works towards assuming the status of a School. He anticipates that pursuing a terminal degree will provide a nuanced perspective to his existing contribution to mental health nursing education and practice development in Ghana and internationally