WACCBIP CEO shares how family has shaped his values and beliefs

Founding Director of the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), Prof. Gordon A. Awandare has revealed that his family has been crucial in instilling in him the values of sacrifices and care for others.
In an interview with Rev. Erskine on the Y Leaderboard Series, he narrated that he grew up living with his grandparents and they definitely taught him the lesson of showing care for others and making sacrifices for others.
“Being in a family where people genuinely care for each other and sacrifice for each other shapes your future and that is what shaped my future. It is that experience of being loved even in the midst of very modest circumstances. My grandfather used to get eggs every day from the fowls he had and boiled them for me every day. He made it a point to do that. My grandmother tried to make sure that I eat well and she was so protective of me that my parents thought I was too spoiled by my grandmother”, he said.
Reminiscing some of the childhood memories he had while growing up, he noted that there was no stress or traffic and “knowing that you are not missing out on anything brings the satisfaction of being very much at ease with what you have and what you can do”.
Apart from his position at WACCBIP, Gordon is an Associate Professor at the Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology at the University of Ghana, Legon. He earned a Master’s degree in Biochemistry from the University of Ghana, and a PhD in Infectious Diseases and Microbiology from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health in the USA, after which he completed his postdoctoral training at the Walter Reed Army Institute for Research in Maryland, USA.
By: Alberta Dorcas N D Armah