He received a B.Sc. degree in Biochemistry from the University of Ghana, Legon and PhD in Molecular Biology from the University of Goettingen in Germany. He did his postdoctoral fellowship at the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes at the University of Colorado and the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. Dr. Afelik focused his research efforts during his doctoral and post-doctoral training on the developmental biology of the pancreas and has made major discoveries on the formation, growth and differentiation of pancreatic progenitor cells.