Esther Senanu Folitse, a second-year Master of Philosophy student specializing in Health Systems Research and Management at the School of Public Health, KNUST has been selected as a beneficiary of the inaugural Graduate Students Association (GRASAG) Research Fund (GReF).

She was selected along with Fifty (50) other postgraduate students in an awards ceremony held on Thursday, 18th July 2024 at the KNUST Business School Postgraduate Block D Auditorium. The awarded grants are under the KNUST Chapter of the Graduate Students Association of Ghana (GRASAG-KNUST) Research Fund (GReF) to support their research activities.

Mr. Felix Kofi Adusei, the President of GRASAG-KNUST revealed that the GRASAG Research Fund (GReF) was established with the primary aim of enhancing research endeavours among graduate students. He said that at the core of the fund were two initiatives: the GRASAG Research Support Hub and the GRASAG Research Support Grant which extends beyond financial assistance but also offers mentorship and technical guidance to aspiring researchers.

During the award ceremony, the Vice-Chancellor of KNUST, Professor (Mrs.) Rita Akosua Dickson, charged the awardees to use the funds prudently, encouraging them to make the most of the opportunity to advance their research outputs and contribute significantly to their respective fields. She assured of Management’s financial support towards the GReF to enable students conduct groundbreaking research works to solve problems facing humanity.

Under the expert supervision of Dr. Daniel Opoku and Prof. Wilm Quentin, Esther is conducting a key research study on the effect of disruptions in health services utilization on patients with diabetes and hypertension during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Committed to making the most of the resources available, Esther plans to utilize this funding judiciously for her fieldwork. Esther expressed her warmest appreciation to the Office of Grants and Research at KNUST for the significant opportunity.