Amina Abubakar, Ph.D.

Professor and Director, Institute for Human Development, Aga Khan University

SFARI Investigator Website

Amina Abubakar is a developmental psychologist with a Ph.D. in neurodevelopmental assessment of children in rural sub-Saharan Africa. Abubakar’s thematic focus is on children at risk of experiencing developmental delays due to exposure to various health problems, especially HIV, malnutrition and malaria.

She is further interested in: a) quantifying the neurocognitive burden of early childhood diseases, b) developing culturally appropriate psychological measures for use in Africa and c) identifying culturally appropriate intervention strategies for at-risk children in sub-Saharan Africa.

Abubakar has more than 10 years experience working in Kilifi, Kenya, developing assessment tools and describing the neurocognitive and mental health outcomes associated with health conditions. The neurodevelopmental tools and measures that she has contributed toward have been used in more than 10 low- and middle-income countries.

Funded Projects

NeuroDev: Genetic characterization of neurodevelopmental disorders in African populations

Awarded: 2018
Award Type: Research

SFARI Funded Publications

Phenotype and genetic analysis of data collected within the first year of NeuroDev. Kipkemoi P., Kim H.A., Christ B., O’Heir E., Allen J., Austin-Tse C., Baxter S., Brand H., Bryant S., Buser N., de Menil V., Eastman E., Murugasen S., Galvin A., Kombe N., Ngombo A., Mkubwa B., Mwangi P., Kipkoech C., Lovgren A., MacArthur D.G., Melly B., Mwangasha K., Martin A., Nkambule L.L., Sanchis-Juan A., Singer-Berk M., Talkowski M., VanNoy G., van der Merwe C., NeuroDev Project, Newton C., O’Donnell Luria A., Abubakar A., Donald K., Robinson E.

Validity of the SNAP-IV for ADHD assessment in South African children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Zieff M.R., Hoogenhout M., Eastman E., Christ B.U., Galvin A., de Menil V., Abubakar A., Newton C., Robinson E., Donald K.

The NeuroDev study: Phenotypic and genetic characterization of neurodevelopmental disorders in Kenya and South Africa. de Menil V., Hoogenhout M., Kipkemoi P., Kamuya D., Eastman E., Galvin A., Mwangasha K., de Vries J., Kariuki S.M., Murugasen S., Mwangi P., Singh I., Stein D.J., Abubakar A., Newton C., Donald K., Robinson E.