Cornelius Odarquaye Quarcoopome, (6 July 1924-2003) was a

Ghanaian Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in Ghana–Ivory Coast border, the west, Burkina ...

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

and academic. He was an

ophthalmologist Ophthalmology ( ) is a surgery, surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Followin ...

and professor at the

University of Ghana Medical School The University of Ghana Medical School also UGMS is the medical school of Ghana's first public research institution, the University of Ghana. It is currently located at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra. The medical school was first plann ...

. He and others have been described as pioneers of the medical profession in Ghana.

Early life and education

Cornelius was born on 6 July 1924 in

Accra Accra (; tw, Nkran; dag, Ankara; gaa, Ga or ''Gaga'') is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , ...

Gold Coast Gold Coast may refer to: Places Africa * Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana: ** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642) ** Dutch G ...

. His early education begun in 1929 at the Accra Government Boys' School. He had his secondary education at the

Accra Academy Accra Academy is a Non-denominational Christianity, non-denominational Day School, day and Boarding School, boarding Single-sex education, boys' school. It is located at Bubuashie near Kaneshie in the Greater Accra Region. The school was establishe ...

from 1939 to 1943. He entered

Achimota College Achimota School ( /ɑːtʃimoʊtɑː/ ), formerly Prince of Wales College and School at Achimota, later Achimota College, now nicknamed Motown, is a co-educational boarding school located at Achimota in Accra, Greater Accra, Ghana. The schoo ...

in 1944 for his pre university education. In 1947 he gained admission to further his studies at the

University of Birmingham , mottoeng = Through efforts to heights , established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...

, completing in 1953. After a short spell in the Gold Coast he returned to

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

in 1957 for further studies at the

UCL Institute of Ophthalmology The UCL Institute of Ophthalmology is an institute within the Faculty of Brain Sciences of University College London, University College London (UCL) and is based in London, United Kingdom. The institute conducts research and post-graduate teach ...

University College of London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = � ...

; a constituent college of the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

completing in 1958.

Career

After his studies at the University of Birmingham, he returned to Ghana in 1954 working at the Government Medical department of Gold Coast until 1957 when he left for the

to further his studies at the

. He returned to Ghana in 1958 and worked at the Ministry of Health as a special grade medical officer. In 1960 he was promoted to specialist ophthalmologist at the Ministry of Health. He held this post at the ministry until 1965. He became a part-time lecturer at the Ghana Medical School (now the

) in 1965 and a senior lecturer in 1969. He was appointed associate professor of ophthalmology in 1974. That same year he became an associate research fellow and an honorary consultant for the Ghana Institute of Clinical Genetics, and also a member of the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...

Scientific Advisory Panel for Onchocerciasis Control Project of the Volta River Basin Area. He was appointed president of the

Ghana Medical Association The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) represents physicians, surgeons and dentists working throughout Ghana. It was established in 1958 and is divided into ten divisions representing each region of Ghana as at the end of 2018. History The earliest ...

from 1978 to 1980. In 1978, he was a member of the 1978 Constitutional Commission that was intended for the drafting of the UNIGOV constitution. In 1979, he was appointed first director of the

Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) is a medical research institute located at the University of Ghana in Accra, Ghana. It was founded in 1979 with funds donated by the Japanese government. History The Noguchi Memorial Ins ...

University of Ghana The University of Ghana is a public university located in Accra, Ghana. It the oldest and largest of the thirteen Ghanaian national public universities. The university was founded in 1948 as the University College of the Gold Coast in the Br ...

. He was board chairman of SIC Insurance Company from 1986 to 1994. In June 1990 he was appointed the first president of the Ophthalmological Society of Ghana. He was a fellow of the

West African College of Surgeons The West African College of Surgeons is a professional organization that promotes education, training, examinations and research in surgery in Africa. The college is the first organization to organize surgical subspecialty training in the region. ...

, a licentiate of the

Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of physicians by examination. Founded by royal charter from King Henry VIII in 1 ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, a member of the

Royal College of Surgeons The Royal College of Surgeons is an ancient college (a form of corporation) established in England to regulate the activity of surgeons. Derivative organisations survive in many present and former members of the Commonwealth. These organisations a ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

since 1953, and a member of the International Filariasis Association since 1969.

Personal life and death

He married Emma Essie Dadzie on 25 August 1955. He had a total of seven children comprising five daughters and two sons. His hobbies included reading, photography, golf, computers and listening to music. He died on 28 August 2003 at

Cromwell Hospital The Cromwell Hospital is a private sector hospital located in the South Kensington area of London. It is operated by international healthcare company Bupa. History The hospital, which was designed by Holder Mathias, was established by Bank of Cr ...

at the age of 79.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Quarcoopome, Cornelius Odarquaye 1924 births 2003 deaths Alumni of Achimota School Alumni of the Accra Academy Alumni of University College London Alumni of the University of Birmingham Ghanaian ophthalmologists Academic staff of the University of Ghana 20th-century Ghanaian educators Academic staff of the University of Ghana Medical School