KSU dean Kojo Mensa-Wilmot appointed to Rare Disease Advisory Council

KENNESAW, Ga. | Jan 6, 2023

Kojo Mensa-Wilmot, dean of the College of Science and Mathematics and professor of biology at Kennesaw State University, was recently appointed by Governor Brian Kemp to Georgia's Rare Disease Advisory Council.

The council, which includes 16 qualified professionals, persons living with rare diseases, and caregivers, will advise the general assembly and other state agencies and departments on the needs of individuals with rare diseases living in Georgia.

“Rare diseases limit the lives and livelihood of the many Georgians,” Mensa-Wilmot said. “Advocacy for understanding better patient care, finding causes, accurate diagnosis, and research to find cures is important work for Governor Kemp’s Rare Disease Advisory Council. KSU is excited to bring its scientific expertise to work on behalf of this cause, and I am honored to serve on the Advisory Council.”

Mensa-Wilmot’s current research is supported by a $3.3 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant and centers on replicating the DNA of the parasites that cause African trypanosomiasis, or sleeping sickness, in order to develop new drugs to kill those parasites.

Mensa-Wilmot was also awarded a National Role Model Award by Minority Access INC and is a Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences. He has contributed to over sixty scholarly, peer-reviewed journals and is the principal investigator on two ongoing federal research projects.

Prior to becoming dean of the College of Science and Mathematics, Mensa-Wilmot was head of the Department of Cellular Biology and a professor at the University of Georgia (UGA).

At the University of Georgia, Mensa-Wilmot continues to serve as an adjunct professor, an advisor to the Minority Premedical Students Association and the Scholars for Diversity in STEM, and an Academic Leader for the UGA Chemical Biology Group.

There are more than 7,000 known rare diseases affecting approximately 25-30 million Americans, more than half of whom are children. Those living with rare diseases face many challenges, including delays in obtaining an accurate diagnosis, finding a healthcare provider with expertise in their unique condition, and a lack of access to therapies and medications used to treat such diseases.