TIME WITH DR. KAUFMANN

I present to you a very beautiful woman with "brains". Who told you book-longs are not beautiful? Dr. Elsie Kaufmann is not just the national math and science quiz mistress. She is a senior Lecturer and the founding head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering. She was named University of Ghana’s Best Teacher for the Sciences in 2009. In 2010 she was elected to represent non-professorial academic staff on the highest decision-making body of the University of Ghana, the University Council, a position she held for four years. In 2011 Dr. Effah Kaufmann was a winner of the prestigious International Women’s Forum Leadership Foundation Fellowship. She has recently been awarded the 2018 Golden Torch for International Academic Leadership at the 44th Anual National Society of Black Engineers(NSBE) conference in USA . Dr. Effah Kaufmann’s teaching and research focus on Tissue Engineering, Biomaterials and Application of Biomedical Engineering concepts to the solution of problems in the Ghanaian context.

WHO IS DR. KAUFMANN?

I am a work in progress(laughs). I’ve been reinventing myself. I am a very focused person when it comes to where I want to go in life. I have objectives in life and I always work hard in order to achieve them.

WHAT WAS YOUR FUTURE AMBITION WHEN YOU WERE YOUNG?

Hmm (laughs). I was the eldest of my siblings. In those days I used to teach them. My brother who is a medical doctor will tell you, I was the one who taught him how to write. He believes I was experimenting on him(laughs). My dad had glasses without lenses which I used to put on and anytime I put those on, everyone knew it was time for lessons(laughs). Even in those days I should have realized I would end up doing some form of teaching but NO! In Ghana if you happen to be a good student, you have to go to the medical school so I was looking forward to attend medical school. In senior High School that is Aburi Girls Senior High School I read General Science. My classmates who used to do Arts will tell you I used to teach them. All you needed to do was to bring your text book(laughs).

WERE YOU ONE OF THE TOP STUDENTS BACK IN SHS?

I should think so but I think I should send you back to my classmates for you to ask them that question (laughs). Yes, I was always the best. I remember a friend told me she was happy I finally completed O’ level because finally the rest were able to get some of the prizes(laughs).

I THINK IT IS BECAUSE YOU WERE FOCUSED. WHAT HELPS YOU TO STAY FOCUSED?

My family. My father was the director of education in Western Region and my mother a pupil teacher from age 17. The two of them were very disciplined, nothing gets past them(laughs). I learnt time consciousness from my father. My father used to tell me “you are free to do whatever you want, just make sure you are the best”.

WHY BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING OR COULD IT HAVE BEEN ANYTHING?

It could have been anything. I got a scholarship from United World College. I was one of the three people selected to represent Ghana. I was selected to go to UK. That was my first experience travelling. By then I had applied to medical school in University of Ghana. By the time I was ready to come back, the period of admission was over so I had to find something else to do. I went to the school’s career and counselling center to tell them about it and they suggested some schools in the US. I came across bioengineering which caught my attention because it was related to medicine. I wanted to finish and end up in the medical school but I realized the course was much more fun than what the medical students get to do so I decided to stick to it.

YOUR GPA WAS AWESOME; HOW DID YOU DO THAT?

Did you have access to my transcript(laughs)?

IT WAS HIGHLIGHTED IN YOUR PROFILE

Yes. I studied at the University of Pennsylvania and they have special program where undergraduate can take a graduate course and you need a good GPA to be qualified to do that. I think I could have done better if I had not involved myself in activities which I don’t regret doing.

FOR THOSE OF US COMING UP, DO YOU THINK HIGH GPA WITHOUT ANY EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITY IS BETTER COMPARED TO “OKAY” GPA BUT ?INVOLVED IN OTHER THINGS?

TO BE CONTINUED............

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