About Amma Agyemang
Biography:
I was born in Los Angeles, CA, and raised in Accra, Ghana. I earned a BS in biochemistry and molecular biology from the State University of New York at Albany and a MD, PhD in immunology from Harvard University. While at Harvard Medical School, I was passionate about healthcare in underserved communities. My activities included health education programs for teens, coordinating annual health fairs at community health centers, volunteering in a homeless women’s shelter and conducting health screenings in a mobile health clinic. After graduating, I completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) where I conducted research on the regulation of the immune system during autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases. These experiences culminated in an interest in the shared cell signaling networks implicated in inflammation and malignancy.
I completed my residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Boston Medical Center where I solidified my interest in the prevention and eradication of gynecological cancers. I conducted research on uterine leiomyosarcoma in underrepresented patient populations, early detection of precancerous cervical lesions in women living with HIV and enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) in gynecologic surgery. Upon completing residency training, I embarked on a T32 postdoctoral research fellowship in gynecologic oncology at Roswell Park where I investigate immunotherapeutic strategies for ovarian cancer.
I am grateful for the opportunity to build on these experiences as a clinical fellow in Gynecologic Oncology at Roswell Park in an environment characterized by a strong tradition of excellence in cancer care and biomedical research.
Positions
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
- Clinical Fellow
- Department of Gynecologic Oncology
- Treasurer, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center Association of Postdoctoral Scholars
Background
Education and Training:
- 2013 - MD - Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
- 2011 - PhD - Immunology program, Division of Medical Sciences and Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Cambridge, MA
- 2002 - BS - Biochemistry and Molecular Biology - State University of New York, University at Albany, NY
Residency:
- 2015-2019 - Obstetrics and Gynecology, Boston Medical Center, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA
Fellowship:
- 2023 (anticipated) - Advanced Gynecologic Oncology - Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY
Professional Memberships:
- 2019-present - Member, American Society of Clinical Oncology
- 2019-present - Member, American Association for Cancer Research
- 2019-present - Member, National Postdoctoral Association
- 2017-present - Member, Society of Gynecologic Oncology
- 2015-present - Junior fellow, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
- 2015-present - Member, American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists
- 2015-present - Member, Massachusetts Medical Society
- 2013-present - Member, Ghana Physicians and Surgeons Foundation of North America
- 2013-present - Member, National Medical Association
- 2005-present - Member, American Physician Scientists Association
- 2003-present - Member, American Medical Association
Professional Experience:
- 2013-2015 - Postdoctoral fellow in Immunoregulation, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), Bethesda, MD
Honors & Awards:
- 2017 - Quality Improvement Award for Boston Medical Center Quality week
- 2014 - NIAMS Annual Research Symposium Best Poster Award
- 2013 - NIH Postdoctoral Intramural Research Training Award
- 2013 - Harvard Medical School Multiculturalism and Diversity Award
- 2011 - NIH Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) grant
- 2005 - Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Predoctoral Fellowship
- 2002 - SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence
- 2002 - SUNY Class of 1994 (Sesquicentennial) Scholarship
- 2002 - Katherine Vario Scholarship
- 2001 - National Institutes of Health Undergraduate Scholarship
- 2001 - Phi Beta Kappa, Alpha Alpha of New York
- 2000 - Barry M Goldwater Scholarship
Publications
- Stier EA*, Abbasi W*, Agyemang AF, Valle Alvarez EA, Chiao, EY, Deshmukh, AA. Recurrence of Anal High-Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesions among Women Living with HIV. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2020 Jan 16; Epub ahead of print. PMID 31977596
- Agyemang AF, Harrison SR, Siegel RM, McDermott MF. Protein misfolding and dysregulated protein homeostasis in autoinflammatory diseases and beyond. Semin Immunopathology. 2015 Jul; 37 (4):335-47. PMID: 25994946
- Agyemang AF*, Chatterjee P*, Alimzhanov MB, Degn SE, Tsiftsoglou SA, Alicot E, Jones SA, Ma M, Carroll MC. Complement C4 maintains B cell tolerance in a myeloid cell dependent manner. Eur J Immunol. Sep 2013; 43 (9): 2441-50. PMID: 23749435
- Detre C, Keszei M, Garrido-Mesa N, Kis-Toth K, Castro W, Agyemang AF, Veerapen N, Besra G, Carroll MC, Tsokos GC, Wang N, Leadbetter E, Terhorst C. SAP expression in invariant NKT cells is requisite for cognate help and dispensable for non-cognate support to B cells. Blood. 2012 Jul 5; 120 (1):122-9. PMID: 22613797
- Henrickson SE, Agyemang AF, Garg S, Hafler JP. Integrating clinical perspectives into graduate education. Clin Immunol. 2011; 141 (2):228-30. PMID: 21944668
- Pau AK, McLaughlin MM, Hu Z, Agyemang AF, Polis MA, Kottilil S. Predictors of hematopoeitic growth factors use in HIV/HCV co-infected patients treated with Peginterferon Alfa 2b and Ribavirin. AIDS Patient Care STDS. 2006; 20 (9):612-9. PMID: 16987047
- Dougan SK, Salas A, Rava P, Agyemang A, Kaser A, Morrison J, Khurana A, Kronenberg M, Johnson C, Exley M, Hussain MM, Blumberg RS. Microsomal triglyceride transfer protein lipidation and control of CD1d on antigen presenting cells. J. Exp. Med. 2005; 202 (4): 529-539. PMID 16087713
- Sklar PA, Agyemang AF, Monastra R, Rock-Kress D, Metcalf JA, Robinson MR, Masur H, Polis MA. Five-year follow-up of a cohort of profoundly immunosuppressed patients discontinuing therapy for cytomegalovirus retinitis. AIDS 2004; 18:567-569. PMID: 15090813