Dorcas Osei Sarfo
Dorcas Osei Sarfo is a Ghanaian chemist and the first female doctor in Chemistry from the University of Ghana.
Education
Dorcas completed her secondary education at Wesley Girls' Senior High School in Cape Coast. [1]She earned both her BSc and PhD from the University of Ghana. [2]
Dorcas holds a postdoctoral degree in Chemistry from the University of Ghana. 1999 Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the University of Ghana. 1991
Career
Lecturer, Department of Chemistry, University of Ghana
Professional interest
Western Africa Network of Natural Product Researchers (WANNPRES) Women in Science and Technology (WIST)
Research interest
(a)Natural Products Chemistry: isolation and characterisation of bioactive principles from medicinal plants (b)Antimalarial drug analysis: quality assessment of antimalarial drugs
Current research interest
a) Chemical and biological investigation of *Dichapetalum filicaule*, *Dichapetalum madagascariensis* (Dichapetalaceae) and *Synedrella nodiflora* (Asteraceae) b) Application of quality assurance methods to artemisinin-based and non-artemisinin-based antimalarial drugs
Awards and recognition
Dr. Dorcas Osei-Sarfo is the first female doctor in Chemistry from the University of Ghana. She is also a fellow of the Western Africa Network of Natural Product Researchers and a member of Women in Science and Technology (WIST).
Personal life
Dr. Osei-Sarfo is a Ghanaian, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Ghana. Her area of specialization is Natural Product Chemistry. Her research interests include the isolation and characterization of bioactive compounds from medicinal plants and the application of quality assurance methods to antimalarial drugs. Over the past years, she has completed several research projects, including: "The Amide Constituents of *Piper guineense* Schum and Thonn, as potential anti-AIDS agents;" "Development of fast analytical techniques for antimalarial drugs;" "Validation and Application of Quality Assurance Methods Developed for Selected Antimalarial Drugs in Ghana," and "Pharmacovigilance on Selected Antimalarial Drugs used in Ghana, Togo and Malawi." Dr. Osei-Sarfo also works at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO). She is interested in the extraction, isolation, and characterization of bioactive compounds from medicinal plants. In collaborative research involving bioassay-guided fractionation, her role involved identifying and carrying out structural elucidation of active ingredients using physico-chemical methods, spectroscopic methods, and mass spectrometry. She finds the emerging in silico and DMPK technologies, including plant metabolomics, which have significantly reduced timelines within natural product research, very appealing. Dr. Sarfo aims to explore this area for phytochemicals with potential biological activities against cancer, malaria, and other neglected tropical diseases, followed by further investigation for lead and drug-like molecules. She has undertaken research on medicinal plants with anticancer, antimalarial, anticonvulsant, antihelminthic, and antischistosomal activities. The anticonvulsant work aimed to develop a polyherbal anticonvulsant product as an example of utilizing natural resources for improved health. Dr. Osei-Sarfo states that these activities will enhance her capacity to conduct research on natural products beyond isolation, structural elucidation, and preliminary biological activity screening, and contribute to strengthening human resources and infrastructural capacity in African institutions. Dr. Osei-Sarfo has published numerous articles in reputable scholarly journals such as the *Journal of Science and Technology*, *African Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology*, *Journal of Medicinal Food*, and *International Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences*. She is also the author of chapters in *Phytochemicals as Nutraceuticals - Global Approaches to Their Role in Nutrition and Health* and *Drug Discovery in Africa*. She has participated in conferences, seminars, and workshops in Ghana, as well as in Pretoria (South Africa), Nairobi, and China. She has served on various boards and as a reviewer for the *African Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacy* (SA) and the *Journal of Biological and Applied Sciences* at the University of Cape Coast.
References
- ↑ "Wesley Girls High School - Past Students". wesleygirls.edu.gh. Retrieved 2016-09-22.
- ↑ "Department of Chemistry : University of Ghana". chem.ug.edu.gh. Retrieved 2016-09-22.
2. 3.[1]
