Afua Oteng Asare

Afua Oteng Asare, OD, PHD

Academic Information

Departments Primary - Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences , Adjunct - Population Health Sciences

Academic Office Information

afua.asare@utah.edu

Research Interests

  • Health Disparities and Equity
  • Vision Screening
  • Practice Guidelines
  • Social Determinants of Health
  • Health Services Research Including Use of Population-Based Data, Cost & Utility Analyses, and Patient-Derived Outcomes
  • Implementation and Dissemination Science

Dr. Asare's research team seeks to improve vision health outcomes in pediatric populations with a special emphasis on amblyopia and myopia. The aim is to do this through implementing and evaluating strategic, evidence-based tools and strategies, including point-of-care and population health information technology (HIT) tools. Establishing and strategically implementing HIT will enable the accurate identification, referral, and surveillance of children identified with vision impairment in primary and specialist care.

The objectives of the team are to determine:

  • Disparities in access to vision care for children with an initial focus on vision screening as part of well-child visits in pediatric primary care and completed referrals to specialist eye care.
  • Patient, provider, and system-level factors associated with poor access to vision care.
  • Adapt, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of a HIT tool to bridge gaps in access to vision care.

The team uses several research methods to gather and analyze data to achieve its goals. These include but are not limited to implementation science, user-centered design, qualitative research, and mixed methods.

Education History

Graduate Training University of Toronto
 PhD
University of Waterloo
 MS
Graduate Training Harvard University
 MPH
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
 OD

Selected Publications

Journal Article

  1. Asare AO, Horns JJ, Stagg BC, Richards-Steed R, Young M, Watt MH, Stipelman C, Del Fiol G, Hartmann EE, Keenan HT, Asare EA, Smith JD (). Vision Screening for Preschoolers with Commercial Insurance: Impact of Geography. In Press. (Epub ahead of print) J AAPOS.
  2. Asare AO, Stagg BC, Stipelman C, Keenan HT, Watt MH, Del Fiol G, Young M, Smith JD (). Access to Vision Care for Children from Immigrant and Nonimmigrant Households: Evidence from the National Survey of Children’s Health 2018-2019. In Press. (Epub ahead of print) J AAPOS.
  3. Asare AO Stagg BC, Stipelman C, Killeen OJ, Hicks PM, Omotowa O, Hartmann EE, Keenan HT, Smith JD (). Patient-Centered Medical Homes and Vision Care for Children: A Cross-Sectional Study with Evidence from the National Survey of Children’s Health 2018-2019. In press. (Epub ahead of print) BMC Pediatr.
  4. Asare AO, Stagg BC, Sharareh N, Stipelman C, Del Fiol G, Smith JD (2024). Vision Loss in Children from Immigrant and Nonimmigrant Households: Evidence from the National Survey of Children's Health 2018-2020. J Immigr Minor Health, 26(5), 813-822. (Read full article)
  5. Antonio-Aguirre B, Block S, Asare AO, Baldanado K, Ciner EB, Coulter RA, DeCarlo DK, Drews-Botsch C, Fishman D, Hartmann EE, Killeen OJ, Yuen J, Collins ME (2023). Association of socio-demographic characteristics with pediatric vision screening and eye care: An analysis of the 20212 National Survey of Children's Health. Ophthalmology.
  6. Killeen OJ, Choi H, Kannan NS, Asare AO, Stagg BC, Ehrlich JR (2023). Association Between Health Insurance and Primary Care Vision Testing Among Children and Adolescents. JAMA Ophthalmol, 141(9), 909-911. (Read full article)
  7. Stagg BC, Tullis B, Asare A, Stein JD, Medeiros FA, Weir C, Borbolla D, Hess R, Kawamoto K (2023). Systematic User-centered Design of a Prototype Clinical Decision Support System for Glaucoma. Ophthalmol Sci, 3(3), 100279. (Read full article)
  8. Asare AO, Maurer D, Wong AMF, Saunders N, Ungar WJ (2023). Cost-effectiveness of Universal School- and Community-Based Vision Testing Strategies to Detect Amblyopia in Children in Ontario, Canada. JAMA Netw Open, 6(1), e2249384. (Read full article)
  9. Asare AO, Wong AMF, Maurer D, Kulandaivelu Y, Saunders N, Ungar WJ (2021). Economic evaluations of vision screening to detect amblyopia and refractive errors in children: a systematic review. Can J Public Health, 113(2), 297-311. (Read full article)
  10. Asare AO, Maurer D, Wong AMF, Ungar WJ, Saunders N (2021). Socioeconomic Status and Vision Care Services in Ontario, Canada: A Population-Based Cohort Study. J Pediatr, 241, 212-220.e2. (Read full article)
  11. Hicks PM, Elam AR, Woodward MA, Newman-Casey PA, Asare A, Akrobetu D, Gupta D, Stagg BC (2021). Perceptions of Respect From Clinicians by Patients in Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups With Eye Disease. JAMA Ophthalmol, 140(2), 125-131. (Read full article)
  12. Asare AOWong AMFMaurer DNishimura M (2019). Access to vision services by vulnerable populations in Canada: A scoping review. J Health Care Poor Underserved, 30(1), 6-27. (Read full article)
  13. Asare AO, Malvankar-Mehta MS, Makar I (2017). Community vision screening in preschoolers: initial experience using the Plusoptix S12C automated photoscreening camera. Can J Ophthalmol, 52(5), 480-485. (Read full article)
  14. Montero-Odasso M, Bherer L, Studenski S, Gopaul K, Oteng-Amoako A, Woolmore-Goodwin S, Stoole P, Wells J, Doherty T, Zecevic AA, Galinsky D, Rylett RJ, Jutai J, Muir-Hunter S, Speechley M, Camicioli R (2015). Mobility and Cognition in Seniors. Report from the 2008 Institute of Aging (CIHR) Mobility and Cognition Workshop. Can Geriatr J, 18(3), 159-67. (Read full article)
  15. Montero-Odasso M, Muir-Hunter SW, Oteng-Amoako A, Gopaul K, Islam A, Borrie M, Wells J, Speechley M (2014). Donepezil improves gait performance in older adults with mild Alzheimer's disease: a phase II clinical trial. J Alzheimers Dis, 43(1), 193-9. (Read full article)
  16. Montero-Odasso M, Oteng-Amoako A, Speechley M, Gopaul K, Beauchet O, Annweiler C, Muir-Hunter SW (2014). The motor signature of mild cognitive impairment: results from the gait and brain study. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci, 69(11), 1415-21. (Read full article)
  17. Kumah DB, Oteng-Amoako AO, Apio H (2009). Eye Disease amongst Kitchen Staff in Senior High Schools in the Kumasi Metropolis. Ghana Journal of Science, 11, 140-147.

Conference Proceedings

  1. Pardue M, Frick K, Young T, Asare A, Berson D, Born R, Chen J, Guggenheim J, Kuo A, Maurer D, Movshon A, Mutti D, Sabesan R, Summers J, Weise K, Dorries M, Winters T (). Towards Understanding the Pathogenesis of Myopia: A Summary of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Consensus Report. XXVI Biennial Meeting of the International Society for Eye Research, Buenos Aires, Argentina October 20 - 24th, 2024.

Commentary

  1. Hicks PM, Asare AO, Woodward MA (2023). Beyond Accessibility in Exploring Access to Eye Care to Achieve Vision Health Equity. JAMA Ophthalmol. (Read full article)

Editorial

  1. Baugh B, Tullis B, Asare AO, Zouache M, Stagg, B (2023). Ensuring that glaucoma decision support meets the needs of providers and patients . 6.

Report

  1. Committee on Focus on Myopia Pathogenesis and Rising Incidence Frick KD, Young TL, Asare AO, Berson D, Born RT, Chen J, Guggenheim JA, Kuo AN, Maurer D, Movshon JA, Mutti DO, Pardue MT, Sabesan R, Summers JA, Weise KK (2024). National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2024. Myopia: Causes, Prevention, and Treatment of an Increasingly Common Disease. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/27734.. Washington, DC: National Academy of Sciences. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.