Professor Ambroise Wonkam
Dr. Ambroise Wonkam is a Professor of Genetic Medicine and the Director of the McKusick-Nathans Institute and Department of Genetic Medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, USA. He also serves as the Director of GeneMAP (Genetic Medicine of African Populations) and is the immediate past Deputy Dean for Research at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, South Africa.
Dr. Wonkam completed his MD training at the Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I (Cameroon). He pursued a thesis in Medical Sciences (Cell Biology) at the University of Geneva (Switzerland) and earned a PhD in Human Genetics from the University of Cape Town (South Africa). He also received advanced training as a medical geneticist at the University of Geneva, one of the most reputable centers for genetic medicine, and has practiced genetic medicine in European, African and American contexts.
With over 250 peer-reviewed publications, Dr. Wonkam’s research focuses on genetic and genomic variation in African populations, particularly in three areas: Genomic Modifiers of Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), Genetics of Hearing Impairment, and Ethical and Educational Issues in Human Genetics. Over the past decade, he has successfully led numerous NIH- and Wellcome Trust-funded projects conducting research in several African countries, including Tanzania, Cameroon, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Uganda, Mali, Sudan, Rwanda, and Ghana.