Open access publisher BioMed Central, UK, presented the Open Access Advocate of the Year award at the recent 6th Annual Research Awards ceremony held at Emirates Stadium, UK. Dr Helena Asamoah-Hassan, University Librarian of the Kwame University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana and a Fellow of the Ghana Library Association was only the second individual winner of this award.
The award recognises institutions or individuals who have done the most to show leadership in taking steps to expand access to the published results of scholarly research.
Helena has been instrumental in creating the Open Access mandate at KNUST, ensuring they became BioMed Central's first Southern Foundation Member, and she has been tireless in her support for the Open Access Africa event, including acting as host for the OAA conference in 2011.
