Charles Odamtten Easmon

Charles Odamtten Easmon
Born	Charles Odamtten Easmon 25 July 1913(1913-07-25) Accra, Ghana
Died	July 5, 1994(1994-07-05) Accra, Ghana
Pen name	Charlie, C.O.
Occupation	Medical doctor
Language	English
Nationality	British Subject, Ghanaian
Education	Achimota School, Edinburgh University

Charles Odamtten Easmon or C.O. Easmon, F.R.C.S. (1913–May 19, 1994) was a Ghanaian doctor of Sierra Leonean descent. Easmon was the first Ghanaian to qualify as a surgeon specialist^[1] and the first African dean of the University of Ghana Medical School.

Background

Charles 'Charlie' Odamtten Easmon was born in 1913 to Kate Odamtten and Victor Farrell Easmon. Victor Easmon was an accountant who was the son of John Farrell Easmon and Christina Augustt, a descendant of the Richter family from Osu, Accra. Victor Easmon died in Jos Plateau, Nigeria and Odamtten Easmon was raised by his mother though he still kept close ties with the Easmon family in Sierra Leone. Easmon's mother, Kate was from a Osu family and his uncle Solomon Odamtten was a political activist.

Education and early career

Odamtten Easmon attended the prestigious Achimota School alongside future Ghanaian president Kwame Nkrumah. While at school, Easmon was known for his drawings. A gifted athlete and a member of the Student Christian Movement while at Achimota School, following the completion of his secondary education, Easmon attended Edinburgh University. Easmon was the first Ghanaian member of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh following the completion of his medical course. Upon his return to the Gold Coast, Easmon worked at Korle Bu and was eventually put in charge of Korle Bu Hospital in Accra. In 1946, Easmon married Genevieve Dove, the daughter of Sierra Leonean lawyer, Francis 'Frans] Dove. In June 1959, Easmon left Ghana for the United States for five months fellowship offered by the State Department in order to create understanding between Ghana and the United States.

Appointment Chief Medical Officer

In 1964, Kwame Nkrumah appointed Easmon as the first Chief Medical Officer of Ghana.

References

1. ^ "Kwame Nkrumah’s Revolutionary Health Platform". GhanaWeb. http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=169401. Retrieved 18 July 2010. 

Persondata
Name	Easmon, Charles Odamtten
Alternative names
Short description	First Ghanaian to qualify as a surgeon specialist
Date of birth	1913
Place of birth
Date of death	1994
Place of death