Ruth Dede Tuwor: bridging social science and skin health for those often left behind
Ghana
GhanaThe SHEPP project aims to improve the skin health of prisoners and staff working at Kumasi Central Prison." Ruth Dede Tuwor
Beyond the laboratory: the woman bridging science and social work in Ghana
On the bustling campus surrounding the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research (KCCR), a woman is working to demonstrate that science and social work must go hand in hand. Her name is Ruth Dede Tuwor, a sociologist, researcher and, above all, an advocate for those living on the most invisible fringes of the healthcare system.
The researcher who breaks down the barriers between the laboratory and the community
With a degree in Sociology and currently a PhD candidate in Global Health at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Ruth works alongside clinical researchers, epidemiologists, microbiologists and immunologists, but also with health economists, public health specialists and community workers or prison officers. “In this role, I have contributed to several interdisciplinary projects focusing on community participation in relation to neglected skin diseases in different contexts across Ghana,” she explains.
Ruth is part of a multidisciplinary team that combines biomedicine with the social sciences. At the KCCR—a centre affiliated with Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST)—she works on research into Neglected Tropical Skin Diseases. In a scientific environment historically dominated by men, Ruth has managed to forge her own path by offering a different perspective: one that places human experience at the heart of knowledge.
“I led a study to understand the experiences of stigma among people with yaws and Buruli ulcer in Ghana” she recalls.
Her career reflects a commitment to linking biomedical research with social realities. “In that study, we showed that the types and levels of stigma varied for each disease and that experiences differed between adults and children. They also differed between men and women. These differences must be taken into account in integrated interventions to tackle skin-related neglected tropical diseases.”
Her path to the KCCR began at the start of her Master’s degree, when she discovered medical sociology. “I quickly developed a keen interest in this field and was soon fascinated by the role that effective collaboration between the social and biomedical sciences can play in promoting health.” Shortly afterwards, she came across a job vacancy for a research assistant in the KCCR’s skin health group: “I was excited by this opportunity and submitted my application; following a rigorous interview process, I secured the post, and the journey since then has been nothing short of thrilling.”
“We do this by developing a thorough understanding of the skin health context through screening, treatment and the establishment of sustainable care systems.”
Since then, her work has delved into key aspects of public health in Ghana: community perceptions, patient experiences, and the processes of co-designing interventions. In her collaboration with Dr Yaw Amoako and Prof Richard Phillips, Ruth has found a space where the social sciences are not merely ancillary, but indispensable. “Our collaboration grew naturally out of a shared commitment to improving health outcomes among vulnerable populations,” she says.
That commitment is currently being realised through the SHEPP – Skin Health Programme for a Penitentiary project, which Ruth co-leads alongside Dr Amoako. The project — funded by the Anesvad Foundation and the Leprosy Research Initiative (LRI) through the RESILIENTD programme — aims to improve the skin health of prisoners and prison staff at Kumasi Central Prison, an institution housing around two thousand inmates.
SHEPP is much more than just a research project
Ruth has played a key role in every phase of the project: “My main contribution has been to collaborate with the principal investigator, Dr Yaw Amoako, and other members of our team, as well as stakeholders from the Ghana Prisons Service and the prisoners themselves, to implement all research components, including ethics submission, material development, data collection, analysis and the presentation of results.”
For her, SHEPP represents much more than a research project: it is a reminder of why she chose this path. “SHEPP inspires me because it constantly reminds me why I chose to work in social science research in health,” she says. “As a social scientist, I see how listening to, understanding and engaging with people not only makes them feel seen, heard and cared for, but also contributes to a better understanding of their contexts, helping to provide effective and sustainable support.”
Working in a prison — she adds — “an environment often overlooked in discussions about health, and focusing on skin conditions such as scabies, which are themselves neglected diseases, reinforces my belief that all people, including those affected by neglected conditions and living in neglected places where help is scarce, also deserve compassion, inclusion and equity”.
Research that puts people at the heart of it all
Her perspective reminds us that health cannot be understood solely from a clinical standpoint, but must also be viewed through the lens of social determinants: access to safe drinking water, hygiene, education, a healthy environment and decent living conditions. The RESILIENTD programme promotes precisely this vision: to generate knowledge, innovation and partnerships among research teams in Africa to tackle the social determinants of health relating to neglected diseases.
Ruth Dede Tuwor’s story is that of a woman who has made social science a tool for the human right to health. Her work, in one of the most overlooked settings, restores humanity and hope to those who are rarely heard. Her work embodies the approach of the Anesvad Foundation, which works to guarantee the right to health through a holistic approach, strengthening public health systems and defending the dignity of people affected by neglected tropical diseases.
