Dr. Emmanuella Amoako will receive a $100,000 award for using evidence to improve early diagnosis, expand access to treatment, and advance locally led cancer research in Ghana.
Dr. Emmanuella Amoako, a pediatric oncologist advancing childhood cancer care in Ghana, has been named the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation’s (IHME) 2026 Roux Prize winner. The prize honors her leadership as Lead Pediatric Oncologist at Cape Coast Teaching Hospital, where she has built evidence-driven services that improve early diagnosis, expand access to treatment, and strengthen locally led research. It also recognizes her broader work across Ghana to advance early detection, workforce development, national research collaboration, and African-led evidence for precision oncology.
Each year, the Roux Prize recognizes an individual whose use of health evidence has contributed to measurable improvements in population health. Since its establishment by David and Barbara Roux in 2013, the prize has highlighted evidence-driven work from around the world. It is awarded by IHME at the University of Washington School of Medicine.
Childhood cancer survival exceeds 80% in many high-income countries, compared with less than 30% in many African settings. Although Ghana has made important progress and now has 12 pediatric oncologists, specialist services remain concentrated in a few urban centers, requiring many families to travel long distances to access care. Dr. Amoako has worked to address these barriers by expanding pediatric oncology services, improving early detection, and strengthening locally led cancer research.
“Dr. Amoako has used evidence to strengthen the delivery of childhood cancer care amid significant access barriers,” said Dr. Christopher J.L. Murray, Director of IHME. “Her work translates clinical research into practical improvements across diagnosis and treatment. That is exactly the kind of evidence-informed leadership the Roux Prize was created to recognize.”
In 2019, Dr. Amoako established a shared-care pediatric oncology service at Cape Coast Teaching Hospital, bringing treatment closer to families who previously traveled up to nine hours to reach specialist care. The service allows children to receive portions of their care locally while remaining connected to Ghana’s comprehensive cancer centers. Since opening, it has cared for more than 150 children, while supporting treatment adherence and strengthening coordination across facilities.
“What we have learned through the shared-care service can inform broader efforts to strengthen childhood cancer care across Ghana,” Dr. Amoako said. “We now have an opportunity to improve early detection, diagnosis, and long-term capacity. The Roux Prize will help us build on this progress and expand the impact of our work.”
Dr. Amoako also developed COMPASS, or Community Parents Navigating Support for Early Childhood Cancer Detection, a community-driven program designed to reduce delays in childhood cancer diagnosis. The program trains parents of childhood cancer survivors and primary health care workers to recognize warning signs, guide families through referrals, and connect children with specialized services. Its digital platform tracks suspected and confirmed cases, referral timelines, and stage at diagnosis. In its first months, COMPASS trained 10 parent navigators and 100 health care workers and reached more than 1,000 people through community outreach.
Beyond her clinical work, Dr. Amoako is working to address the underrepresentation of African patients in the evidence used to guide cancer diagnosis and treatment through her work with Yemaachi Biotech. People of African ancestry account for only a small fraction of global cancer genomic datasets, limiting the applicability of many advances in precision medicine. Through The African Cancer Atlas (TACA), one of the continent’s largest cancer genomics initiatives, she is helping build a comprehensive genomic and clinical resource using tumor and matched normal samples from thousands of African patients. The initiative aims to generate evidence that better represents African populations, strengthen precision oncology, and accelerate discoveries that improve patient care across the continent.
Dr. Amoako is currently a Cancer Genetics Fellow at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto, where she is receiving advanced training that she plans to apply in Ghana to strengthen childhood cancer diagnosis, cancer genetics, and precision oncology. She also serves as Director of Clinical Affairs at Yemaachi Biotech, Secretary of the Childhood Cancer Society of Ghana, and a part-time lecturer at the University of Cape Coast School of Medical Sciences. Her contributions to pediatric care and cancer research have been recognized through the Johnson & Johnson Global Citizen Award (2017), the ASCO International Development and Education Award (2024), and the Pediatric Oncology Yvonne Award (2026). Her broader work includes writing children’s books for young patients, co-hosting the Global Health Unfiltered podcast, and volunteering with Operation Smile.
As the 2026 Roux Prize winner, Dr. Amoako will receive US$100,000 to advance her evidence-based work in childhood cancer care. The award will support her efforts to strengthen pediatric oncology services across Ghana, helping ensure that children with cancer receive safer, more dignified, and higher-quality care. She also plans to strengthen collaboration across Africa on childhood cancer by working with governments, regional institutions, and partners to increase investment in pediatric oncology services, workforce development, research, and equitable access to innovative diagnostics and treatment across the continent.
Dr. Amoako will be recognized at an award ceremony on October 14 in London. Following this year’s celebration, IHME will begin accepting nominations for the 2027 Roux Prize on November 1, 2026. Nominations are open to individuals from all countries and sectors, including government, civil society, research, and frontline health care.
About the Roux Prize
The Roux Prize is sponsored by IHME founding board member David Roux and his wife, Barbara, to reward innovation in the application of disease burden research. The prize recognizes a person who has used health evidence in bold ways to make people healthier and highlights what is possible when visionaries use evidence to change lives.
About IHME
An independent population health research organization based at the University of Washington School of Medicine, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) works with collaborators around the world to develop timely, relevant, and scientifically valid evidence that illuminates the state of health everywhere. In making our research available and approachable, we aim to inform health policy and practice in pursuit of our vision: all people living long lives in full health.
For questions about the prize, contact info@rouxprize.org .
For media inquiries, contact ihmemedia@uw.edu .