Edward Francis Bani Forster
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Edward Francis Bani Forster, , was a Gambian physician and academic based in
Ghana 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 the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
. He was the first Gambian psychiatrist, and a professor of Psychiatry at the
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 served as the president of the
West African College of Physicians The West African College of Physicians is a professional society, founded in 1976, for medical specialists in the West African sub-region. The association promotes postgraduate specialist training, professional curriculum development and fellowsh ...
from 1983 to 1984. Forster was a foundation member of the Medical Research Council of Psychiatry, and a foundation fellow of the West African College of Physicians. He was a
fellow of the Royal Society of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), also known as the Royal Society of Arts, is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA acronym is used m ...
, a member of the
Association for the Advancement of Psychotherapy The Association for the Advancement of Psychotherapy (AAP) is a professional organization created to advance methods of psychotherapy among members of the medical profession and to familiarize members with progress in the field.National Academy of ...
, USA, a member of the Royal College of Psychiatry, and a member of the Association of Psychiatrists of Africa.


Early life and education

Forster was born on 16 December 1917 in
Banjul Banjul (,"Banjul"
(US) and
), officially the City of Ba ...
,
Gambia The Gambia,, ff, Gammbi, ar, غامبيا officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country within mainland AfricaHoare, Ben. (2002) ''The Kingfisher A-Z Encyclopedia'', Kingfisher Publicatio ...
. He had his early education at the St. Mary's Primary School in Banjul, Gambia from 1923 to 1932. In 1932, he was enrolled at Church Missionary Society Grammar School in
Freetown Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, educational and p ...
,
Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...
, for his secondary education and graduated in 1937. That year he entered Trinity College Dublin, Trinity College, Dublin,
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, where he obtained his Licentiate of Medicine in 1943, and his Diploma in
Psychological Medicine ''Psychological Medicine'' is a peer-reviewed medical journal in the field of psychiatry and related aspects of psychology and basic sciences. According to the ''Journal Citation Reports'', the journal has a 2020 impact factor of 7.723. History ...
in 1950. He subsequently qualified as a member 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 ...
, and a member of the
British Medical Association The British Medical Association (BMA) is a registered trade union for doctors in the United Kingdom. The association does not regulate or certify doctors, a responsibility which lies with the General Medical Council. The association's headquar ...
.


Career

Forster began his career as a house surgeon at the
Birmingham Accident Hospital Birmingham Accident Hospital, formerly known as Birmingham Accident Hospital and Rehabilitation Centre, was established in April 1941 as Birmingham's response to two reports, the British Medical Association's Committee on Fractures (1935) and th ...
, in the West Midlands of England, in 1943. In 1944, he joined Warlingham Park Mental Hospital as a house physician. That same year, he was appointed assistant medical officer at the Central Mental Hospital in Hatton. He worked there for about two years, after which he was made a general practitioner in
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
, England. Forster returned to
Gambia The Gambia,, ff, Gammbi, ar, غامبيا officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country within mainland AfricaHoare, Ben. (2002) ''The Kingfisher A-Z Encyclopedia'', Kingfisher Publicatio ...
in 1946 and served under the colonial medical services until 1951. He joined the Ministry of Health 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, , ...
, Ghana where he worked as a consultant in Psychiatry and later, doctor in charge of the Accra Mental Hospital. He served in this capacity until 1970 when he gained employment at the
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 ...
. After serving for about 19 years as the doctor in charge of the Accra Mental Hospital, Forster was appointed associate professor of Psychiatry 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 ...
. In 1972, he was elevated to the status of a professor and head of the Psychiatry Department of the University of Ghana Medical School. He was president of the
West African College of Physicians The West African College of Physicians is a professional society, founded in 1976, for medical specialists in the West African sub-region. The association promotes postgraduate specialist training, professional curriculum development and fellowsh ...
from 1983 to 1984. Forster was a recipient of the Grand Medal of Ghana in 1973.


Personal life

Forster was the son of Hannah Forster; the first Gambian female politician, and the brother of Catherine Collier; the first Gambian
Radiographer Radiographers, also known as radiologic technologists, diagnostic radiographers and medical radiation technologists are healthcare professionals who specialize in the imaging of human anatomy for the diagnosis and treatment of pathology. Radi ...
. He married
Essi Matilda Forster Essi Matilda Forster (12 September 1922 – August 1998) was a Ghanaian lawyer. She was the first female native of the Gold Coast (now Ghana) to qualify as a lawyer. Early life and education Forster was born to her father, George James Christ ...
(''née'' Christian, who was the first female Gold Coast native to become a lawyer) on 17 December 1944. Together, they had three children: one daughter and two sons. Forster's hobbies were walking, and reading.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Forster, Emmanuel Francis Bani 1917 births Gambian psychiatrists Gambian academics Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Gambian educators Date of death missing Ghanaian psychiatrists People from Banjul University of Ghana alumni