The first in his community to earn a PhD, David Asakitogum was originally educated as a nurse at the Bolgatanga Nursing Training College in his native Ghana. Over the next 15 years, he served as a nurse clinician and nurse educator in five rural districts in Ghana, advocating for prevention of malaria in pregnancy, prevention of HIV/AIDs from mother-to-child transmission, and cervical cancer prevention. He also led the creation of a Cervical Cancer Screening Unit in the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital, which serves nearly 700,000 women. Asakitogum’s primary research interest is in cancer care and prevention with an emphasis on symptom burden and quality of life for patients with gynecologic cancer. His program of research seeks to 1) develop interventions to reduce symptom burden and improve quality of life for women with gynecologic cancer in under-resourced communities, and 2) improve healthcare clinicians’ knowledge and skills for early detection of cancer symptoms and symptom management of women with gynecologic cancer in under-resourced communities across the globe. Ultimately, his goal is to ensure that no woman dies of cervical cancer in Ghana without knowing the diagnosis.

Education

• PhD in Nursing, University of California San Francisco
• MPhil in Nursing, University of Ghana
• BS in Nursing, University of Ghana
• Certificate in Leadership and Management in Health, University of Washington
• Certificate in Design and Management of Cancer Clinical Trials, University of Miami

Selected Editorial Activities

• Reviewer, World Journal of Oncology
• Reviewer, International Journal of African Nursing Sciences
• Reviewer, PLOS One
• Reviewer, Journal of Medical Research and Reviews

Selected Awards & Honors

• School of Nursing Scholar, University of California San Francisco (UCSF), 2021 – 2024
• Oncology Nursing Foundation Scholar, 2023 – 2024
• Chao Endowed Global Health Nursing Scholar, UCSF, 2022 – 2023
• UCSF Global Cancer Fellow, 2022 – 2024

Selected Professional Activities

• Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association
• Multinational Association of Supportive Cancer Care
• Sigma International Honor Society of Nursing
• American Association for Cancer Research
• Gerontological Society of America