Recognition & Speaking Engagements

Honors, recognitions, and selected international speaking engagements

  1. Keynote Speaker: International Congress of Dietetics. Cape Town International Convention Center, South Africa. 15 – 18 September 2020. http://www.icda2020.com/index.php/speakers
  2. Invited Speaker. Ethics Grand Rounds: Center for Bioethics, University of Minnesota, MN, USA. Paper presented: Social Public Health and Ghana’s National Response to HIV. Details here https://www.bioethics.umn.edu/ethics-grand-rounds-social-public-health-and-ghanas-national-response-hiv & Video recording here https://mediaspace.umn.edu/media/t/0_cjlqwnsj
  3. Invited Speaker: Food Environment (FE) workshop jointly organized by the Food Systems for Healthy Diets (of the A4NH), The Netherlands, Bioversity International, andAgriProFocus Ethiopia. Talk: INFORMAS in Ghana – Implementation of Food Environment Policies in Ghana
  4. Recognized in the Lancet, for his efforts at combating nutrition-related NCDs in Ghana. Details here https://www.thelancet.com/journals/landia/article/PIIS2213-8587(19)30216-5/fulltext
  5. Interviewed by The European Association for the Study of Obesity. “A Conversation with Dr. Amos Laar on Food Policies and Obesity-Related Projects”. Details here https://easo.org/a-conversation-with-dr-amos-laar-food-policies-and-obesity-related-projects/
  6. Invited Speaker: FAO Future of Food International Symposium. FAO Headquarters, Rome, Italy. June 10-11 2019. Paper presented.  Can food environment policies contribute to building consumer confidence in the African food system? Details here http://www.fao.org/about/meetings/future-of-food/livestream/en/. Livestream video recordings here http://www.fao.org/webcast/home/en/item/4999/icode/
  7. Invited Ethics Expert/Lecturer: The ABCDs of PhD. Program organized by the North West Univ. Potchefstroom, South Africa. 25 March -12 April 2019. Topics presented: “Ethics and etiquette in research; Responsible conduct of research; Challenges in implementing a doctoral research”                
  8. Brown Bag at the Cuny Urban Food Policy Institute, CUNY SPH and Health Policy, Harlem, NY, USA. Discussed Food Environment Policies in Ghana. https://www.cunyurbanfoodpolicy.org/news/2019/2/25/dr-amos-laar-discusses-the-food-environment-in-ghana-at-cuny-sph?fbclid=IwAR3UfRNN3fGxonDNpNGUVSWhHYNV_vatNhku_EECRj4YMLCq2KnRgt3FxAE
  9. Opening Address of Agriculture, Nutrition & Health (ANH) Academy Conference – ANH2018  at Kempinski Hotel, Gold Coast City Accra, Ghana. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ygCEHw8JDc
  10. Invited speaker: United Nations Economic Commission for Africa Expert Group Meeting on “Reducing Child Stunting in Africa. November 9-10 2017, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Paper presented. “Nutrition sensitivity of the 2014 Budget Statement of Republic of Ghana”.
  11. Keynote Speaker: 7th African Nutritional Epidemiology Conference, Marrakech Morocco, October 9 – 14 2016. Contribution of SUN academic platforms to nutrition capacity building in Africa: efforts, prospects, and challenges.
  12. Invited Speaker. Global Conference on the Prevention and Management of conflict of interest in the UN’s Scaling up Nutrition (SUN) Movement held in Geneva, Switzerland on 16-17 February 2015. Panel Discussion: “Understanding Conflict of Interest in Different Contexts”
  13. Invited Speaker. “Epidemic Ethics: Preserving Public Health and Respecting Rights in Mass-Casualty Health Crises”.  Durham, UK October 22, 2015
  14. Invited Speaker. Enhanced Learning Exercise for the Consultation Process on Engaging in the SUN Movement: Preventing and Managing Conflicts of Interest Accra, Ghana on 1-2 April 2014. Case Study Co-presented with two colleagues: “Preventing and Managing Conflicts of Interest in the Ghana SUN Networks” 
  15. 2012 HIV Research Trust Fellow. enabled me spend time at the Center for Bioethics, University of Minnesota working on the “development of ethically appropriate response strategies to the HIV epidemic in Ghana” project.
  16. Participation in the 66th Session of the UN-General Assembly Meeting in New York, 2011
  17. Best Research Presentation by a Young Investigator. International Conference on Family Planning: Research and Best Practices; November 15 – 18, 2009; Kampala, Uganda
  18. Visiting Bill and Melinda Gates Scholar. Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, March – May 2007.
  19. Prof. and Mrs. Samuel Ofosu-Amaah’s Prize for Best Dissertation and Field Practice, School of Public Health, University of Ghana (2004/2005). 

 

Selected local recognitions and national speaking engagements

  1. Country Expert: Rapid size estimation of people who inject drugs (PWID), including HIV prevalence at the eight (8) border sites along the Abidjan Lagos corridor.
  2. National Expert: Co-developed a Concept Paper for UNAIDS aimed at facilitating prioritization of Ghana’s HIV prevention actions within the context of the 2020 targets.
  3. Invited/Expert: Stakeholder Workshop on Human Rights Barriers to Healthcare Services in Ghana. Convened by the Ghana Country Coordinating Mechanism of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS TB, and Malaria. Coconut Grove Regency Hotel, Accra. July 10th 2017. Paper presented. Laar et al 2017. “Key populations and human rights in the context of HIV services rendition in Ghana” BMC Int Health Hum Rights. 2017 Aug 2;17(1):20. https://bmcinthealthhumrights.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12914-017-0129-z
  4. National Expert: Supported Government of Ghana to develop a 78 million US Dollars joint HIV/TB Global Fund Grant for period 2018-2020.
  5. Member: Ghana National Key Populations Technical Working Group (KP TWG) 2011-2015
  6. Member: “Ghana Country Response Data Team”. Task team charged with the development of a National System for the Validation of HIV data. 2015-2017
  7. Invited Speaker. Malnutrition in Children. Annual Conference of the Pediatric Society of African Reagent Hotel, Accra, Ghana. July 14th 2017
  8. Invited Speaker. Ministerial Panel on Nutrition and Social Protection. Organized by the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection. Paper presented: Cementing the Linkages between Nutrition and Social Protection in Ghana: An issues paper developed for the Government of Ghana. Coconut Grove Regency Hotel. July 4th https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/proceedings-of-the-nutrition-society/article/improving-nutritionsensitivity-of-social-protection-programmes-in-ghana/79452B16DA9DA1D7E9E43B44D4888271
  9. Invited Speaker. AIDS Initiatives in Ghana. A lecture presented to a group of faculty members and students from select US Universities. Convened by the Aya Center, Accra, Ghana. June 13 2017
  10. Invited Panelist: Annual Helen Kanzira Memorial Lecture. Theme: Protecting Women’s Reproductive Rights in Africa: A moral or legal obligation. Law School Auditorium, School of Law, University of Ghana, March 31st
  11. Invited Speaker: Building Stronger Universities Phase II: Scientific Writing and Communication Workshop, College of Health Sciences, Korle Bu, Accra, Ghana. May, 2015. Topic presented: “Ethics & Etiquette in Scientific Publication”
  12. Keynote Speaker: Nestlé Healthy Kids Central and West Africa Workshop, Friday 3rd July 2015, Fiesta Royale Hotel Accra, Ghana. Topic presented: “Malnutrition in children in sub-Saharan Africa: The double burden” (I did not receive any Honorarium from Nestlé) 
  13. Invited Speaker: Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Faculty Fellows Program: Health Service Panel: Tuesday, July 7, 2015. Conference Hall – Institute of Statistical Social, and Economic Research (ISSER), Accra, Ghana.  Topic presented: “Double Burden of Malnutrition in Children: Implications for performance in school and future productivity” (I received Honorarium from the CRS)

Recognitions, Media & Talks »