Lady Rev. (Mrs.) Mary Ethel Lamptey is one of the foundational figures behind Newborn Screening (NBS) for Sickle Cell Disease in Ghana. A nurse, public health leader, certified genetic counsellor, ordained minister, and global advocate, she has dedicated her career to building systems that ensure children born with sickle cell disease are identified at birth, linked to appropriate care, and given the opportunity to live healthy and productive lives.
Mrs. Lamptey was a member of the pioneering delegation that travelled with Professor Kwaku Ohene-Frempong to Brazil to study that country's groundbreaking newborn screening programme for sickle cell disease. The knowledge and experience gained from that visit helped lay the foundation for Ghana's own newborn screening programme. Much of the infrastructure that exists today for screening, follow-up care, and family support can be traced to that early learning journey and the work that followed.
For more than three decades, Mrs. Lamptey worked closely with the late Professor Ohene-Frempong—widely regarded as the pioneer of newborn sickle cell screening in Africa and one of the principal architects of Ghana's National Newborn Screening Programme for Sickle Cell Disease. Serving as the National Nurse Coordinator of the programme, she played a pivotal role in transforming vision into action by developing training systems, establishing clinical protocols, coordinating follow-up services, and nurturing the partnerships that have enabled the programme to reach families across Ghana.
Her leadership, commitment, and unwavering advocacy have contributed significantly to improving the lives of thousands of children and families affected by sickle cell disease. Through her work, Mrs. Lamptey has helped shape a lasting legacy of early diagnosis, quality care, and hope for future generations.
She retired as Deputy Director of Nursing Services - Public Health within Ghana's national health system, where her leadership shaped public health nursing practice for a generation of providers.
A Certified Genetic Counsellor specializing in Sickle Cell Disease, Mrs. Lamptey has carried Ghana's model beyond its borders. She has traveled internationally to train, learn from, and support sickle cell screening and care programs in other countries - extending the work she began with Professor Ohene-Frempong into a continental and global movement. She serves on the Board of SALTED Health Foundation and on the boards of additional organizations advancing sickle cell disease education, newborn screening, care, advocacy, and capacity building.
Mrs. Lamptey is also Pastor in Charge of the Macedonia Mission of the Restoration Charismatic Evangelical Church in Awotse, Kokompe, where her ministry is grounded in the same conviction that has shaped her clinical and public health work: that the dignity and wellbeing of every life is a calling, not a charge.
Married for 46 years and the devoted mother of five, she carries the same faith, discipline, and quiet authority into her family that has marked her professional life. Her enduring commitment to her faith, her family, and her community continues to shape every space she enters - and the lives of the children whose futures her work has made possible.
