Born and raised in Cape Coast – Ghana, Dr. Mark Pokoo-Aikins is a certified Medical Physicist. He had his secondary education at St. Augustine’s College in Cape Coast and earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Physics at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana in 2008, and his Master of Philosophy Degree in Medical Physics from the University of Ghana, in 2012.
He subsequently completed his clinical internship programme in Medical Physics at the National Centre for Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine Department at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, and the SGMC Cancer Centre in Ghana in 2013, after which he pursued and completed his Doctor of Philosophy degree in Physics at the University of Cape Coast in 2019.
In his thesis work, he researched on portal imaging dosimetry in radiotherapy. During this period, he won the Deans Award of Excellence at the University of Cape Coast, an award given to the most outstanding PhD. student for producing an outstanding thesis in the field of study.
Upon completion of his PhD, Dr. Pokoo-Aikins accepted a position as Programme Coordinator at the Medical Physics Department of the University of Ghana, UG, where he has worked as the primary liaison officer for the Medical Physics programme for the past 4 years. Occasionally, he has also taken up the role as the Acting Head of the department.
Since 2012, he has been working as a research scientist at the Radiological and Medical Sciences Research Institute of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, and has since conducted researches at various radiotherapy and diagnostic centres in Ghana. As part of his roles at the Commission, he has also conducted several radiation safety assessments on various radiotherapy and diagnostic x-ray facilities in Ghana.
He is also a lecturer at the Medical Physics Department of the University of Ghana, and has supervised several MPhil. students. He has authored and co-authored several peer reviewed journals, as well as conference papers. His research interests lie in the areas of X-ray dosimetry, optimization of radiotherapy treatment planning and delivery, and quality assurance methods and standards in radiotherapy and medical imaging.
In 2017, he was part of Ghana’s Quatro team (a team of medical physics professionals) which conducted a national medical physics audit programme for Radiotherapy practices in Ghana. Currently, he is also part of the Quadril team responsible for national quality assurance (QA) audit programme for diagnostic radiology practices in Ghana.
In 2019 to 2020, Dr. Mark Pokoo-Aikins was awarded a fellowship training on quality assurance of radiotherapy and diagnostic X-ray procedures at André Vésale hospital in Belgium by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
In March 2021, he assumed the role of a facilitator of International Atomic Energy Agency’s project “RAF6053 – Clinical Training for Medical Physicists in Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine” in Ghana. The project aims to improve the overall safety and effectiveness of nuclear medicine and diagnostic radiology services in Africa through dose optimization and, ultimately, through the development of appropriate quality assurance programmes.
In July 2021, he accepted a role at the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNCSCEAR), where he has since performed his duty as Ghana’s representative for Medical Exposure Survey.
He has served on several standing and ad hoc committees at the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, and is currently serving on the scientific committee for the 6th African Congress of the International Radiation Protection Association (IRPA) scheduled to take place in Ghana in October 2022.
Dr. Mark Pokoo-Aikins is a member of International Organizations of Medical Physics (IOMP). He is also a member of Federation of African Medical Physics Organizations (FAMPO), as well as Ghana Society for Medical Physics (GSMP) and Ghana Nuclear Society (GNS).
He has a lifelong passion for Information Technology (IT).