Marie-Charlyn Fatima Kilba, MBChB, a native of Kandiga, Ghana, joins the St. Jude Graduate School’s Master of Global Child Health program looking to advance her focus on caring for children battling catastrophic diseases in low-resource environments.
Kilba earned a pair of degrees from the University of Ghana and has seen her academic journey take her to the Ghana College of Physician & Surgeons, the College of Medicine of South Africa and the University of Cape Town. Most recently, she completed a fellowship in pediatrics and child health at the Ghana College of Physicians & Surgeons.
Her research focuses on advancing care for critically ill children, particularly in low-resource settings, and she is deeply committed to addressing sepsis and respiratory failure, which are major contributors to pediatric mortality in these environments. These conditions represent Kilba’s primary research interests, as she strives to develop strategies and interventions that can improve survival and outcomes for vulnerable pediatric populations.
Kilba joins the Global Child Health program at the St. Jude Graduate School because of a desire to build her knowledge and skills in research methods, analysis and implementation, understand principles and determinants of health systems and develop her leadership and managerial skills to enable her to be an effective driver of change and growth. This program provides Kilba with an opportunity to learn from experts in the field of global health, as well as previous cohorts of students, and mentorship that extends beyond the period of formal training.
Hometown: Kandiga, Ghana
Education:
2023 Fellow, Pediatrics and Child Health, Ghana College of Physicians & Surgeons
2019 MPhil, Paediatric Critical Care, University of Cape Town
2017 Cert Critical Care (SA) Paeds, Colleges of Medicine of South Africa
2010 Membership (Paediatrics and Child Health, Ghana College of Physicians & Surgeons
2005 Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, University of Ghana Medical School
2001 BS, Medical Sciences, University of Ghana
Awards/Honors/Scholarships:
2005 David Scott Prize in Community Health, University of Ghana Medical School
2005 Harry Sawyer Prize in Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Ghana Medical School
2005 Archampong Prize in Clinical Surgery, University of Ghana Medical School
2005 Prof E. A Badoe Prize in Surgery, University of Ghana Medical School
Publications:
Kortz, Teresa B, Abdul-Mumin, Alhassan et al. Prevalence, aetiology, and hospital outcomes of paediatric acute critical illness in resource-constrained settings (Global PARITY): a multicentre, international, point prevalence and prospective cohort study. The Lancet Global Health, Volume 13, Issue 2, e212 - e22
Tapela K, Prah DA, Tetteh B, Kilba C, et al. Cellular immune response to SARS-CoV-2 and clinical presentation in individuals exposed to endemic malaria. Cell Rep. 2024;43(8):114533. doi:10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114533
Kilba M-C.F, Salie S, Morrow B.M. Risk factors and outcomes of extubation failure in a South African tertiary paediatric intensive care unit. Southern African Journal of Critical Care 2022;38(1):26.
Owusu, S. K., Obeng-Koranteng, G., Odai, S. L., Kilba, M. C. F., Abbeyquaye, P., Onwona-Agyeman, K., Zampoli, M. Cystic Fibrosis in two Ghanaian Children. Journal of the Pan African Thoracic Society, 2. https://doi.org/10.25259/JPATS_10_2021