Maxwell Akonde, Ph.D., M.S.

Maxwell Akonde, Ph.D., M.S., joined DCEG as a postdoctoral fellow in the Clinical Genetics Branch in December 2024, under the mentorship of Nicolas Wentzensen, Ph.D., M.D., M.S.

He received his Ph.D. in epidemiology from the University of South Carolina, Columbia. He also completed a master’s degree in hematology and a bachelor’s degree in medical laboratory technology from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. Dr. Akonde worked with his doctoral mentors to evaluate the use of multiple serum biomarkers for the early detection of ovarian cancer. He also examined factors that contribute to the ovarian cancer incidence and survival outcomes in Black women. 

Dr. Akonde works with Dr. Wentzensen to understand the role of inflammation in ovarian carcinogenesis and determine or develop new interventions to control or prevent inflammation. He also works on integrating risk factors, lifestyle, environmental, genetics, and biomarkers that characterize ovarian cancer precursors.