Get to know Dr. Anna
MY JOURNEY
Dr. Anna Ampaw-Olanrewaju was born on the east coast of Canada in Halifax, Nova Scotia to parents who had recently immigrated from Ghana. From childhood, she always took an interest in learning and always had a curiosity for science. Upon applying to undergraduate programs, Anna received a full scholarship to the University of Ottawa for Biopharmaceutical Science. During her undergraduate degree she was accepted into the cooperative education program, achieved the Dean’s List, and received the Tony Durst scholarship for undergraduate chemists. While focusing on her academics, Anna was also involved in many student groups and was the president of the Ghanaian association; a student-led group that provides community for Ghanaian university students.
In 2014, Anna graduated from the University of Ottawa with Magna Cum Laude recognition and transitioned directly into a Masters in Science (M.Sc.) program at Dalhousie University. Under the supervision of Dr. David Jakeman, Anna investigated the inhibition of the beta-phosphoglucomutase enzyme and also received the Anna Wilson Scholarship for women in chemistry. In 2016, Anna successfully defended her MSc thesis and shortly after was accepted to the Ph.D. program at the University of Ottawa. Under the supervision of Dr. Robert Ben and in collaboration with Canadian Blood Services, Anna’s Ph.D. research focused on synthesizing and evaluating ice recrystallization inhibitors as cryoprotectants for red blood cells and hematopoietic stem cells. During her Ph.D. she received over $100k in funding from Canadian Blood Services and a yearly graduate admission scholarship from the University of Ottawa. Anna successfully defended her Ph.D. thesis in 2022. After her Ph.D. Anna received the Provost Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Toronto in Dr. Patrick Gunning’s lab where her research focused on contributing to the oncology drug discovery pipeline. She was part of a team that designed and chemically synthesized small molecule drug leads for rare cancers, while also investigating new oncology therapeutic targets using chemical probes.
MY PRESENT
After many years in academia, Anna’s passion for science and helping others directed her to the pharmaceutical industry, where she currently works as a pharmaceutical sales associate. Through this career change, she is able to ensure patients receive optimal treatment via scientific discoveries.
Besides her day job, Anna is also passionate about giving back to her community and she does this in several ways. For the past ten years, Anna has tutored and mentored several undergraduate and high school students in chemistry courses and also taught MCAT and DAT prep courses with The Princeton Review and DATBooster.
Anna is also very passionate about encouraging more black women to go into STEM and to stay in STEM. She regularly speaks to high school students and undergraduate students about her journey and has been invited by nonprofits and public institutions to speak on topics concerning diversity in STEM.
Anna is the founder of her own non-profit organization, Empowering Female Minds in STEM, an organization that helps African women succeed in STEM.