Emmanuel Akowuah

Biography

Education

DrPH, Georgia Southern University, Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health- Statesboro, GA

MS, University of North Dakota, College of Education, Health and Behavior- Grand Forks, ND

BS, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Department of Sports & Exercise Science - Kumasi, Ghana

Biography
Emmanuel Akowuah, DrPH, MS, began his time at Belmont University in the Fall of 2024 as an Assistant Professor and Fieldwork Coordinator for the Public Health Department in the College of Pharmacy. In this role, Dr. Akowuah is responsible for contributing to the academic and fieldwork aspects of the public health program, providing valuable expertise and guidance to students, and coordinating fieldwork opportunities to enhance their learning experience.

Dr. Akowuah is an enthusiastic and dedicated public health professional with a strong commitment to educating and mentoring the future leaders in the field of public health. His research focuses on a broad range of crucial areas including rural health sustainability, healthcare access and utilization, rural health disparities, health equity, and program evaluation. With over nine years of experience in the public health sector, Dr. Akowuah brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to his work, making significant contributions to improving public health outcomes.

Before joining Belmont University, Dr. Akowuah was a lecturer at Baylor University for four years. During his time at Baylor, he taught various courses including Global Health, Stress Management/Mental Health, Health Concepts and Competencies, and Introduction to Public Health. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he also held the role of Internship Coordinator for the Public Health Department for a period of three years.

Dr. Akowuah is deeply committed to his role as an assistant professor, viewing it as a true calling that stems from his unwavering passion for shaping the future of public health through education. His genuine love for his students is evident in his interaction with his students in and out of the classroom. Dr. Akowuah is dedicated to continuing his journey as an educator, with the firm intention of making a lasting impact on his students and the wider community.
 
Research Interest

• Rural Health Sustainability
• Healthcare Access and Utilization
• Rural Health Disparities
• Health equity
• Program Evaluation

Presentations

Akowuah, E. A. Opoku, S., Ofori S. K, & Apenteng B. (2023). Characteristics of Patients that Utilize Urgent Care Clinics (UCCs) in the United States, American Public Health Association Annual Research Meeting, November 2023, Atlanta, GA.

Ofori S.K, Babatunde D, Akowuah E.A, Fung I.C.H. “SARS-CoV-2 Transmission Potential and Disparities in Disease Burden in Rural and Urban Maine.” 2022 International Conference of Emerging Infectious Diseases, poster presentation, August 2022, Atlanta, GA.

Ofori S.K, Akowuah E.A, Amankwa E.A, Babatunde D, Baiden F. (2021). Self-medication with antibiotics- a survey among traders in the central business district of Accra, Ghana. American Public Health Association Conference, oral presentation, November 2021, Denver, CO.

Opoku, S., Akowuah, E. A. & Apenteng B. (2018). Association between Race and Gender Concordance in the Patient-Provider Relationship and Out-of-Pocket Cost for Office-Based Visits, Academy Health Annual Research Meeting, June 2018, Seattle, WA.

Opoku, S., Akowuah, E. A. & Apenteng B. (2018). Impact of Medicaid Expansion on Malpractice Claims. American Public Health Association Annual Meeting, November 2018, San Diego, CA.

Akowuah E. A, Ekpo I, Opoku S. T, Apenteng B (2018). Identifying Factors Associated with Employee Turnover Intent in a Rural Hospital. Georgia Public Health Association 89th Annual Meeting, April 2018. Jekyll Island, Georgia.

Akowuah E. A, Ekpo I, Apenteng B, Opoku S. T (2018). Trends in Emergency Department Utilization in Georgia. Georgia Public Health Association 89th Annual Meeting, April 2018. Jekyll Island, Georgia.

Ekpo I, Akowuah E. A, Apenteng B, Opoku S. T (2018). The Use of Social Media for Emergency Response: How do Georgia Public Health Districts Compare? Georgia Public Health Association 89th Annual Meeting, April 2018. Jekyll Island, Georgia.

Ekpo I, Akowuah E. A, Apenteng B, Opoku S. T (2018). A Comparative Analysis of Social Media Utilization and Engagement among Public Health Districts. Georgia Public Health Association 89th Annual Meeting, April 2018. Jekyll Island, Georgia.

Akowuah E. A, Apenteng B, Opoku S. T (2017). Participation of Georgia Physician Quality Reporting System, 2015. Georgia Public Health Association 88th Annual Meeting, April 2017. Atlanta, Georgia.

Akowuah E. A, Opoku S. T, Apenteng B (2017). Examining the characteristics of physicians that leave Georgia after their medical school training. Georgia Public Health Association 88th Annual Meeting, April 2017. Atlanta, Georgia.

Mutiso F, Akowuah E. A, Opoku S. T, Apenteng B (2017). Solo Practice Physicians in Georgia. Georgia Public Health Association 88th Annual Meeting, April 2017. Atlanta, Georgia.

Akowuah E. A, Apenteng B, Opoku S. T (2016). Effect of Hospital Closure on the Financial Performance of Neighboring Surviving Rural Hospitals. American Public Health Association Annual Meeting, October 2016. Denver, Colorado.

Akowuah E. A, Opoku S. T, Apenteng B (2016). Variations in Emergency Department Wait Times among Patients with Mental Health Disorders. Academy Health Annual Meeting, June 2016. Boston, MA.

Akowuah E. A, Opoku S. T, Apenteng B (2016). Assessment of Prescription Patterns of Nurse Practitioners in Emergency Department. Academy Health Annual Meeting, June 2016. Boston, MA.

Publications

Asare, M., Lanning, B. A., Montealegre, J. R., Akowuah, E., Adunlin, G., & Rose, T. (2022). Determinants of Low-Income Women’s Participation in Self-Collected Samples for Cervical Cancer Detection: Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior. Community Health Equity Research & Policy, 0272684X221090060

Apenteng BA, Opoku ST, Owens C, Akowuah E., Kimsey L, Peden A. Assessment of the Financial Health of Rural Hospitals After Implementation of the Georgia Rural Hospital Tax Credit Program. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4(7): e2117791. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.17791

Asare, M., Popelsky, B., Akowuah, E., Lanning, B. A., & Montealegre, J. R. (2021). Internal and External Validity of Social Media and Mobile Technology-Driven HPV Vaccination Interventions: Systematic Review Using the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance (RE-AIM) Framework. Vaccines, 9(3), 197.

Opoku, S.T., Apenteng, B.A., Owens, C., Kimsey, L., Peden, A., Ekpo, I., Mase, W.A. & Akowuah, E. (2021). Georgia Rural Hospital Tax Credit: Perspectives of Rural Health Executives. The Journal of Rural Health. doi:10.1111/jrh.12529. 8

Apenteng, B. A., Ekpo, I. B., Mutiso, F. M., Akowuah, E. A., & Opoku, S. T. (2020). Examining the relationship between social media engagement and hospital revenue. Health Marketing Quarterly, 37(1), 10-21.

Akowuah, E. A., Ekpo, I., Opoku, S., & Apenteng, B. (2019). Examining the Characteristics of Physicians That Leave Georgia After Medical School Training. Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association Vol. 7: No. 2, Article 11. DOI: 10.20429/jgpha.2019.070211.

Ekpo, I. B., Akowuah, E. A., Apenteng, B. A., & Opoku, S. T. (2019). Characteristics of the health information technology workforce in Georgia. Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association. Vol. 7: No. 2, Article 13. DOI: 10.20429/jgpha.2019.070213.

Opoku, S. T., Apenteng, B. A., Akowuah, E. A., & Bhuyan, S. (2017). Disparities in Emergency Department Wait Time among Patients with Mental Health and Substance-Related Disorders. The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research, 1-15.

Apenteng, B. A., Opoku, S. T., Ansong, D., Akowuah, E. A., & Afriyie-Gyawu, E. (2016). The effect of power outages on in-facility mortality in healthcare facilities: Evidence from Ghana. Global Public Health, 1-11.

Bastian, R. G., Marcus Garner, M. P. P. A., Barron, J. S., Akowuah, E. A., & Mase, W. A. (2016). Georgia’s rural hospital closures: The common-good approach to ethical decision-making. The Journal of Georgia Public Health Association.

Awards and Grants

Summer Faculty Institute, Baylor University, June 2023. ($10,000) 

 Robbins College Pure Gold Award Recipient in Teaching, November 2022. 

Georgia Public Health Association Poster Contest, 2nd Place. Georgia Public Health Association 89th Annual Meeting, April 2018. Jekyll Island, Georgia. 

Professional Membership

Member, Academy Health. 

Member, American Public Health Association. 

Member, Tennessee Public Health Association.