Mr Divine Eli-Cophie is with the Department of Sports and Exercise Medical Sciences in the School of Sports and Exercise Medicine.
Education
He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry and an MPhil in Human Nutrition and Dietetics from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi. He is currently pursuing his PhD at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.
Work Experience
He has experience in food safety and quality monitoring schemes, clinical laboratory analysis, and application of nutritional science in disease management and health optimization. He was a member of the team that reviewed Nestle’s Tema factory HACCP documents with standard recommendations for ISO 22000-certification, and he is a former head of the clinical Biochemistry department of one of the largest private labs in Ghana (Medilab Diagnostic Services Ltd). He was also trained in China on the use of auto analysers in the testing of various biochemical indices of health.
Memberships
He is a registered dietitian, the first Northern Zonal Coordinator of the Ghana Dietetic Association (GDA), and a founding Member of the Ghana Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (GAND).
Research Interest/Output
Divine’s research, which determined the glycemic index of certain Ghanaian staples like Fufu, Banku, kenkey and TZ, is one of the major pioneering studies on determination of glycemic index of local foods in Ghana.
His Ph.D. research is in the area of Sports Nutrition. He’s interacted with a number of sporting teams (i.e., players, coaches, administrators and various stakeholders) in his research to evaluate the knowledge and dietary practices of sportsmen and women in Ghana. His focus is on enhancing adaptation to training, facilitating recovery and manipulating various sport performance parameters with nutrition. He’s also passionate about coaching and inspiring young people to achieve their innate potentials.