Emmanuella Amoako, MD, MWACP, FGCP, was honored with the Pediatric Oncology Yvonne Award during the Yvonne Awards Ceremony at OncoDaily Party 2026, held on May 29 at Park West in Chicago.
Natera was the exclusive partner of the Yvonne Awards Ceremony and OncoDaily Reception.
The recognition highlights Dr. Amoako’s work as a pediatric oncologist, clinical researcher, global health advocate, and leader in childhood cancer care in Ghana. Her career reflects a strong commitment to improving diagnosis, treatment access, clinical research participation, molecular diagnostics, and family-centered support for children with cancer across African settings.
The Pediatric Oncology Yvonne Award recognizes professionals whose work is shaping the future of childhood cancer care through clinical service, research, advocacy, and systems-building. In Dr. Amoako’s case, that work is deeply connected to Ghana’s pediatric oncology landscape, where she has helped advance shared-care models, early detection strategies, biobanking, molecular diagnostics, and global research partnerships.
A Career Dedicated to Children With Cancer
Emmanuella Amoako currently serves as a Paediatric Haematologist Oncologist at Cape Coast Teaching Hospital, where she leads the Pediatric Oncology Unit serving Central and Western Ghana. In this role, she provides clinical care, supervises fellows and junior doctors, and leads research and quality improvement activities.
Her work at Cape Coast Teaching Hospital includes pioneering a Shared-Care Pediatric Oncology Model, designed to bring care closer to children and families while supporting continuity between treatment centers and communities. In pediatric oncology, where treatment abandonment remains a major barrier in many low- and middle-income settings, shared-care models can play an important role in improving access, trust, follow-up, and treatment completion.
Dr. Amoako’s clinical work is grounded in a broader vision: children with cancer need not only specialized treatment, but also systems that help families recognize symptoms early, reach care faster, remain connected to treatment, and receive support throughout the cancer journey.
Building Pediatric Oncology Capacity in Ghana
Emmanuella Amoako’s training reflects a strong foundation in medicine, pediatric oncology, research, ethics, and global health. She earned her medical degree from Luhansk State Medical University in Ukraine and later completed fellowship training through the Ghana College of Physicians in Pediatric Oncology.
She is also pursuing an MSc in Bioethics at Harvard Medical School, further strengthening her work at the intersection of research, clinical care, equity, and ethical global health practice. Her certifications include Good Clinical Practice, cancer genetic risk counseling, American Heart Association BLS/PALS at instructor level, and leadership and policy in global health through the University of Washington.
This background positions her as both a clinician and a systems thinker, able to work across patient care, research strategy, clinical trials, ethics, policy, and health systems development.
Advancing Research Through Yemaachi Biotech
Since 2021, Emmanuella Amoako has served as Director of Clinical Affairs at Yemaachi Biotech, where she oversees clinical research strategy and partnerships. Her work includes co-leading PROGRESS, the Pediatric Oncology in Ghana Research Study Sites initiative, and contributing to major studies on breast cancer genomics in African populations.
At Yemaachi, her role reflects an important shift in African oncology research: moving from underrepresentation toward locally led discovery, biobanking, genomic studies, and clinical research infrastructure that reflects African populations and cancer biology.
Her work has contributed to studies such as the AMBER Study, described as the first African-led liquid biopsy study in metastatic breast cancer, developed through Yemaachi and Lucence Inc. She has also co-authored research on actionable genomic alterations in Ghanaian metastatic breast cancer cases, helping expand the scientific understanding of cancer genomics in African populations.
Bringing Molecular Diagnostics Into Pediatric Oncology
A major part of Dr. Amoako’s research leadership is connected to molecular diagnostics in pediatric cancer. As a Research Fellow at the University of Ghana Medical Centre, she supports grant development, translational research in pediatric oncology, biobanking, and the implementation of molecular diagnostics.
She is a Co-Investigator on PROGRESS, a LifeArc-funded initiative pioneering next-generation sequencing for minimal residual disease detection in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia in Ghana. The study also involves multisite biobanking and a longitudinal pediatric cancer cohort.
This work is highly important for childhood cancer care. In many high-income settings, molecular testing and MRD monitoring have become central to risk stratification and treatment decisions in pediatric leukemia. Bringing these tools into Ghanaian pediatric oncology can help generate evidence, build local capacity, and improve the precision of care for children with cancer.
Training Families as Navigators Through COMPASS
Emmanuella Amoako serves as Principal Investigator of COMPASS, funded by MSD and Foundation S. The project trains parents as navigators in their communities to support early detection of childhood cancers and uses the COMPASS app to improve referral from communities to treatment centers.
This work directly addresses one of the most difficult challenges in pediatric oncology: delayed diagnosis. Childhood cancer symptoms can be misunderstood, families may face geographic or financial barriers, and referral pathways can be fragmented. Parent navigators can become trusted community links, helping other families recognize warning signs and reach appropriate care earlier.
By combining community navigation with digital referral support, COMPASS reflects a practical model of pediatric oncology innovation rooted in real-world needs.
Clinical Trials and Global Research Partnerships
Emmanuella Amoako has also been involved in clinical trials and studies across pediatric oncology, sickle cell disease, immunology, and genomics. She has served as Sub-Investigator on HOPEKIDS 2 and PIVOT, trials involving voxelotor and hydroxyurea in sickle cell disease across African populations.
Her work includes studies published in journals such as NEJM Evidence and the British Journal of Haematology, reflecting her role in research that connects African patient populations with global clinical evidence.
She has also contributed to the HERITAGE Study, funded by the Gates Foundation, comparing immune responses to COVID-19 vaccines between African and European cohorts. This broader global health research background strengthens her work in pediatric oncology by connecting cancer care with immunology, public health, and population-level research.
A Voice for African Children With Cancer
Emmanuella Amoako’s publication record includes more than 20 peer-reviewed articles across high-quality journals. One of her selected publications, “Unseen and unheard: African children with cancer are consistently excluded from clinical trials,” published in BMJ Global Health, speaks directly to a central problem in global pediatric oncology: children in Africa remain underrepresented in research that shapes standards of care.
This message is central to her professional mission. Clinical trials, genomic studies, biobanking, and translational research must include African children if global pediatric oncology is to become truly global. Dr. Amoako’s work helps move that conversation from observation to action through research sites, partnerships, diagnostics, and community-linked care models.
Leadership Beyond the Clinic
Emmanuella Amoako’s leadership extends beyond hospital-based care. She is the Inaugural Secretary of the Childhood Cancer Society of Ghana, Lead Paediatrician for Operation Smile Ghana, Co-Founder of the Global Health Unfiltered podcast, and author of four children’s books on cancer.
These roles reflect a broad and human-centered approach to oncology. Children with cancer need clinicians, but they also need advocates, educators, storytellers, and leaders who can help families understand disease, reduce stigma, and build stronger support systems.
Her selected speaking engagements include the St. Jude Global Alliance in Memphis, where she discussed next-generation sequencing in African pediatric oncology; ASCO 2024 in Chicago; the Harvard T.H. Chan Africa Health Conference, where she joined a Women in Health Leadership panel; and the Roche Symposium in Arizona, where she spoke about unmet cancer needs in Ghana.
Recognition for Global Oncology Leadership
Dr. Amoako’s work has received several major recognitions, including the ASCO IDEA Award in 2024, the SIOP Best of Global Health Abstract in 2021, the Johnson & Johnson Global Citizen Award in 2017, and the Oxford WT Global Health Small Grant in 2022.
These honors reflect a career marked by clinical service, research leadership, global health engagement, and a strong commitment to children and families affected by cancer.
Honoring a Pediatric Oncology Leader From Ghana
The Pediatric Oncology Yvonne Award recognizes Dr. Emmanuella Amoako for her work in pediatric cancer care, clinical research, molecular diagnostics, patient navigation, global health, and advocacy for African children with cancer.
At OncoDaily Party 2026, her recognition highlighted the importance of leaders who are building pediatric oncology systems where they are needed most. Her work is not limited to treating patients in the clinic. It includes training families as navigators, building research infrastructure, advancing molecular diagnostics, supporting shared-care models, developing clinical trial capacity, and speaking globally about the needs of African children with cancer.
Through her work at Cape Coast Teaching Hospital, Yemaachi Biotech, the University of Ghana Medical Centre, and multiple national and international initiatives, Dr. Amoako continues to strengthen pediatric oncology in Ghana and contribute to a more inclusive future for childhood cancer care.
Written by Nare Hovhannisyan, MD