Dr Ivy Asantewaa Asante is currently a Senior Research Fellow at the Department of Virology; Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research; University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana. She holds a master’s degree in Microbiology from the University of Ghana, Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Ghana Medical School. She undertook her PhD training at the Leibniz Institute of Virology, Universitát, Hamburg, Germany under the tutorship of Prof Guelsah Gabriel (Viral Zoonoses – One Health). Her research interests include emerging and re-emerging respiratory viruses with emphasis on adaptation of avian influenza viruses to the mammalian hosts. She has been involved with influenza surveillance in Ghana since 2007 and is currently responsible for respiratory pathogen surveillance for Ghana with interests in influenza at the human animal interphase. She oversees the WHO recognized National Influenza Centre for Ghana. She supervised the detection of the first SARS-CoV-2 cases in Ghana. Other research interests include transmission dynamics of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in tropical settings