PROFILE OF THE VICE CHANCELLOR
Professor Lydia Aziato was appointed as the third Vice Chancellor of UHAS, effective August 2022, thereby adding UHAS to the short list of Ghanaian universities with female VCs – only the fifth in Ghana.
Education
Prof. Aziato completed studies at the Nursing and Midwifery College, Korle Bu in 1997 to become a professional nurse. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in Nursing and Psychology in 2001 and a Master of Philosophy (M.Phil.) in Nursing in 2005, both from University of Ghana. During her M.Phil. programme, she was granted a scholarship from Unilever Ghana Ltd. In 2006, she completed specialty training in Oncology Nursing from Cross Cancer Institute in Edmonton, Canada. Subsequently, she graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Nursing from University of the Western Cape (UWC), South Africa in 2013.
Professional Background
Prof. Aziato worked as a bedside nurse at Mamprobi Polyclinic, Accra before she joined University of Ghana, Legon in 2001 after her first degree. She rose through the ranks from Senior Nurse Technician (2001-2006), to Assistant Lecturer (2006-2008), Lecturer (2008-2014), Senior Lecturer (2014-2017), Associate Professor (2017-2020) and Professor (2020). Thus, she has 21 years of experience in academia.
Prof. Aziato was the Head of Department for Adult Health at University of Ghana School of Nursing and Midwifery from 2016-2018; Acting Dean (2017-2019); and Dean (2019 to 2022). She was the first substantive Dean of the School.
Prof. Aziato founded Research Mentorship Alliance, an NGO that gives her the platform to develop the research skills of young scientists in Ghana. Currently, she is the President of Chi Omicron Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI), the second largest Nursing organization globally. She is an active member of STTI and has served within this global space in many capacities, such as reviewer for awards, conference abstracts, and moderator of conference presentations.
Boards and Committees
She has extensive corporate governance experience, having served on several boards and committees locally and internationally. She also has experience in mentoring multi-disciplinary doctoral students under the Pan-African Doctoral Academy (PADA). She has taught at different levels from certificate to doctoral and in different institutions and units such as: Centre for Social Policy Studies; 37 Nursing and Midwifery Training College; Pantang Nursing Training College; Central University; and the Ghana College of Nurses and Midwives (GCNM).
She is an experienced curriculum developer and has worked with Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) and Nursing and Midwifery Council of Ghana since 2015, in supervising various programmes for accreditation in various Universities and Schools of Nursing and Midwifery.
Awards
Prof. Aziato has received several awards and recognitions for her professional and academic excellence. Some of her academic awards/scholarships include: Centre of Teaching and Learning Scholarship (CENTALS), Doctoral Scholarship for PhD in Nursing 2011-2012, (University of the Western Cape); Unilever Postgraduate Studies Award for MPhil in Nursing 2003-2005 (College of Health Sciences); First Class Award with highest Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of her class in 2001; Nursing and Midwifery Council (N&MC) distinction award in Medicine/Medical Nursing, Psychiatric Nursing, Obstetric Nursing, Paediatric Nursing and Patient Care Study during the professional national licensure examinations in 1997.
Publications and Internationalisation
Prof. Lydia Aziato has published over 70 articles in credible international peer-reviewed journals, three books, and four book chapters. Her research interests include pain, breast cancer, and women’s health. The citations of her research exceed 1,000, making her the leading nurse scholar in Ghana. Prof. Aziato’s research, conference participation, training and collaborative activities have taken her to many countries such as Canada, USA, UK, Finland, Turkey, Netherlands, Germany, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Sierra-Leone, Kenya, Gambia, and South Africa. She has been part of several funded research with multidisciplinary research teams locally and internationally. She is a reviewer for many journals and serves on three editorial boards. She has supervised over 100 undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students over the years.
