Fred Binka

Fred Newton Binka is a public health physician and researcher from Ghana. He serves as a distinguished professor of clinical epidemiology at the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) in Ho, Ghana, and has previously coordinated the World Health Organization (WHO) Emergency Response to Artemisinin Resistance in the Greater Mekong sub-region of Asia. He is the founding vice-chancellor of UHAS and the former executive secretary of the INDEPTH Network, a global network of health and demographic surveillance systems. His work in malaria control and health development in Africa, particularly in the areas of vitamin A supplementation, insecticide-treated bed nets, and rotavirus and meningitis vaccination, has been impactful.

Early life and education
Binka was born in Ghana and earned his medical degree (MB ChB) with a focus on community health from the University of Ghana in 1978. He then served as a general duty medical officer in Ho, Ghana, and Abeokuta, Nigeria, before advancing his studies in public health. He received his Master of Public Health (MPH) degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel in 1987. He also secured a Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (DTM&H) from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) in 1990, and a PhD in epidemiology and population sciences from the University of Basel in 1997.

Career and research
Binka began his research career as an epidemiologist and led fieldwork for the Ghana Vitamin A Supplementation Trials, a large-scale randomised controlled trial that studied the effects of vitamin A supplementation on child mortality and morbidity. He then joined the Navrongo Health Research Centre (NHRC) in northern Ghana as its director in 1992, where he conducted studies on malaria prevention and control, such as the evaluation of insecticide-treated bed nets, the introduction of intermittent preventive treatment for pregnant women, and the assessment of the feasibility and acceptability of seasonal malaria chemoprevention. He also established the Navrongo Demographic Surveillance System, which became a model for health and demographic research in Africa and a founding member of the INDEPTH Network.

In 2001, Binka became an associate professor of epidemiology at the School of Public Health, University of Ghana, where he taught and supervised postgraduate students and conducted research on various topics, such as the epidemiology and burden of rotavirus and meningococcal infections, the effectiveness and safety of vaccines, and the impact of health sector reforms on malaria control. He also served as a public health specialist for the Ministry of Health of Ghana and a medical officer for the Roll Back Malaria Partnership at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. He participated in several international committees and initiatives related to malaria and health development, such as the Multilateral Initiative on Malaria, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, and the Mapping Malaria Risk in Africa project.

In 2012, Binka was appointed as the inaugural vice-chancellor of the newly established University of Health and Allied Sciences in Ho, Ghana, where he contributed to the development of the university as an institution for health education and research. He also served as a professor of clinical epidemiology at the School of Public Health of UHAS and conducted research on malaria and other infectious diseases. In 2016, he transitioned from UHAS to join the WHO as the coordinator of the Emergency Response to Artemisinin Resistance in the Greater Mekong sub-region of Asia, where he was involved in efforts to address and eliminate the threat of drug-resistant malaria in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Awards and honours
Binka has been recognised with several awards for his work in public health and malaria control. In 2001, he received the Rudolf Geigy Award, an award given by the R. Geigy Foundation in Basel, Switzerland, for his work in science and contributions to malaria control and health development in Africa. In 2010, he was awarded the Prince Mahidol Award, an award given by the Royal Thai Government for achievements in the field of public health. He is a fellow of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons.