Dr. Emmanuel Yao Voado

PROFILE

Born in 1971 to a Christian family of scarce resources in Tefle, Volta Region, Ghana, he always dreamed of breaking the back bone of poverty through education. At the age of 12, he received a prophecy that he would be going abroad to further his education. In 1985, at age 14, the prophecy was accomplished but not without difficulties. After taking the exams to send students to Cuba, he placed first in his district but was unlawfully replaced by the son of the most powerful politician of the district. A concerned citizen sent him to the office of the former President Jerry John Rawlings, when he was allowed to participate in the national test in which he became first.

He was in Cuba for 17 years, right from the junior high school to the medical school and subsequently to the postgraduate specialist course of Neurosurgery.

When he completed the Neurosurgical course in 2001, the people of Belize found him and took him to that country as they needed Neurosurgical Services which they had never had the privilege of enjoying locally. He performed simple and complex surgeries on many people including the elite of Belize with no surgical mortality in his 5 consecutive years of practice.

In the USA, under Dr. Robert Grossman, a well-known neurosurgeon, he worked as a Clinical Research Specialist where he was invited by the Congress of Neurological Surgeons of America to present six papers in their international conferences.

After 28 years, he has decided to come back to Africa to help his people as he has come to the convincing realization that he is more needed here than in the United States of America.

He was deeply touched by the spirit of selflessness of the Cubans and Americans and this shaped his world view in the subconscious level till he came to the conscious realization that a meaningful life is not being rich, being popular, being highly educated or being prefect…It is about being real, being humble, being able to share ourselves and touch the lives of others. It is only then that we could have a full, happy and contented life. He came home to give back to his people in the field of Neurological Surgery and philanthropic efforts to help alleviate the problems of the helpless, the destitute, the orphans and vulnerable children, the widows and their children, the elderly, the mentally disabled, the physically disabled including the deaf and the blind, students, patients and the public at large through the Cosmopolitan Aid Foundation.

 ACHIEVEMENT

• African Legend Award by Africa Network Television, Gainesville, Florida, USA-2015
• Co-founder and President of the non-governmental organization, Cosmopolitan Aid Foundation-2014
• First ever Clinical Research Specialist of the Department of Neurosurgery of the Methodist Hospital of Houston, Texas. Presented in one single international conference of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, five papers in San Francisco, California (2010) and one paper in New Orleans, Louisiana, (2009).
• Motivational speeches to the youth on personal perseverance and resilience-2003 to present
• First ever Neurosurgeon to set up Neurological Surgery Unit and to practise in Belize, Central America & Caribbean.
• Authored a book in the field of Spinal Surgery titled: Lumbar discopathy and other lumbosacral conditions-2002
• Authored a book in Organic Chemistry for Students of High Performance-1991
• Medals of all colours for 3 consecutive years in the Cuba “What do you know” of Chemistry in the Senior High School-1988-1991
• First position in the examinations organized at the National Level for students going to Cuba-1985
• Suma cum laude at all levels of education.

WORKING EXPERIENCE

ORGANISATION                                             DATE                           POSITION

Cosmopolitan Aid Foundation             2014- current              Co-founder/President

Ridge Regional Hospital                                 2014- current              Senior Specialist of Neurosurgery

Tamale Teaching Hospital                              2013-2014                   Senior Specialist of Neurosurgery

The Methodist Hospital, Houston, USA.          2008-2013                   Clinical Research Specialist &

Surgical Assistant.

Universal Health Services/                             2002-2007                   Consultant in Neurosurgery

Belize Health Partners Limited,

Belize City, Belize, Central America & Caribbean.

ACADEMIC APPOINTMENT               DATE               INSTITUTION

Clinical Research Specialist               2008                 The Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA.

Instructor inNeurosurgery,              2001    “Hermanos Ameijeiras” University Hospital Department of Neurosurgery Havana Medical School, Cuba.

MEMBERSHIPS

ASSOCIATION MEMBERSHIP                            SINCE              TYPE OF MEMBERSHIP

Ghana Medical Association                                              2014                     National Member

American Association of Neurological Surgeons        2002                     International Member

Belize Medical and Dental Association                         2002                     National Member

EDUCATION

SCHOOL                                                             DATE                                    CERTIFICATE

Havana Medical School                            1997-2001       Neurosurgeon (cum laude with Havana, Cuba. highest honours).

Havana Medical School                           1993-1997       Medical Doctor (cum laude with Havana, Cuba.  highest honours).

HONOURS AND RECOGNITION

2015  African Legend Award by Africa Network Television, Gainesville, Florida, USA
For the humanitarian efforts of the Cosmopolitan Aid Foundation and professional  achievements.

2010 Annual Meeting of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons for classifying 5 papers which were presented at the conference in San Francisco:

1. “Decompressive Hemicraniectomies”
2. “Cauda Equina Syndrome Secondary to Lumbosacral Disc Herniation”
3. “Clinical outcomes after Microsurgical approach for Recurrent Lumbar Disc Herniations”
4. “Outcome of Microsurgery of Herniated lumbar discs: Goals for comparison with minimally invasive surgery (MIS)”
5. “ Microsurgical medial facectectomy and discectomy”

2009  Annual Meeting of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons for classifying a paper which was presented at conference in New Orleans:”Decompressive Hemicraniectomies”

2002  Universal Health Services-Pioneered the setup of the first Neurosurgical Unit inBelize.

2001 “Hermanos Ameijeiras” University Hospital Excellence in Teaching Award—“given to the neurosurgical resident who has most contributed to junior resident and medical student education through knowledge and art”

2000 Honoured for scoring 100% in the end of 3^rd and 4^th academic years of neurosurgical residency training examinations.

PUBLICATIONS

Voado EY, Grossman RG. Microsurgical medial facectectomy and discectomy. Annual Meeting of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. 2010 Oct.

http://w3.cns.org/university/abstracts/2010CNS/Spine-Peripheral%20Nerve.pdf

Voado EY, Grossman RG. Outcome of Microsurgery of Herniated lumbar discs: Goals for comparison with minimally invasive surgery (MIS. Annual Meeting of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. 2010 Oct.

http://w3.cns.org/university/abstracts/2010CNS/Spine-Peripheral%20Nerve.pdf

http://injemedmeta.wikispaces.com/file/view/C09.pdf

Voado EY, Grossman RG. Clinical outcomes after Microsurgical approach for Recurrent lumbar

 disc herniations. Annual Meeting of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. 2010 Oct.

http://w3.cns.org/university/abstracts/2010CNS/Spine-Peripheral%20Nerve.pdf

Voado EY, De jongh WA.Cauda Equina Syndrome Secondary to Lumbosacral Disc Herniations. Annual Meeting of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. 2010 Oct.

http://w3.cns.org/university/abstracts/2010CNS/Spine-Peripheral%20Nerve.pdf

Voado EY, Grossman RG. Decompressive Hemicraniectomies. Annual Meeting of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. 2010 Oct.

http://w3.cns.org/university/abstracts/2010CNS/Cerebrovascular.pdf

Voado EY, Grossman RG.Decompressive Hemicraniectomies. Annual Meeting of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. 2009 Oct.

Voado EY, De Jongh W, Leon OH. Cauda equina syndrome secondary to lumbar disc herniations. Submitted, Neurosurgery, 2005.

Voado EY, De Jongh W, Leon OH. Failed back syndrome. Revista Cubana de Neurologia.2003

June: 18(2): 45-48.

Voado EY, De Jongh W, Leon OH. Outcome of the microsurgical treatment of lumbar discopathy:

II Virtual Congress of Neurosurgery, Cuban Society of Neurosurgery.2002 Nov:

http://www.uninet.edu/neuroc2002/papers/TL-Discopatialumbar.htm.

Voado EY, De Jongh W, Leon OH. Cauda equina syndrome secondary to lumbar disc herniations.

II Virtual Congress of Neurosurgery, Cuban Society of Neurosurgery. 2002 Nov:

http://www.uninet.edu/neuroc2002/papers/TL-caudaequina.htm

Montero AG, VoadoEY. Hypertension in African-Cubans. Revista Cubana de Medicina Interna.1996 Jan: 46(1): 25-29.

BOOKS

Voado EY, De Jongh W.  Lumbar discopathy and other lumbosacral conditions, 2002.

Voado EY. Organic Chemistry for Students of High Performance. 1991