Prof. Yidana was appointed the Foundation Dean of the School of Public Health, University for Development Studies, in October 2020. Prior to that, he was the Head of the Department for Community Health and Family Medicine (2017-2020) and the Community Based Education and Service (COBES) Coordinator (Sept-Oct 2020) in the School of Medicine. He is an Associate Professor of Public Health specializing in Behavioral Sciences. He holds a Ph.D. in Social Anthropology from Martin-Luther University, Halle-Wittenberg, Germany, and a Master's degree in Medical Sociology from Royal Holloway, University of London. He has published in over 38 peer-reviewed journals both locally and internationally.  

Prof. Yidana has a special interest in maternal and child health, social medicine, public health ethics, and research methods. He also serves as a mentor and trainer in these fields. As a foundation Dean of the School of Public Health, he has spearheaded the establishment of six departments in the School. He has also spearheaded the design of undergraduate and postgraduate academic programs in the School of Public Health, UDS.  Prof. Yidanas aims to position the School to serve as a research hub in the field of public health in the northern part of Ghana and to pursue and develop a healthier world with diversity through innovative training, community research engaged and service, equity, and integrity, to create a meaningful impact.

Prof. Yidana is a partner in the 'Healthy Cities for Adolescents Project' led by Regional Institute for Population Studies (RIPS). This project aims at building a multi-stakeholder consortium with the capacity to use evidence-based information for strategic programming that promotes adolescent health and general well-being. It also aimed at realizing Sustainable Development Goal 3 and related goals (SDG1, SDG4, SDG 5, and SDG17), i.e., ending poverty; inclusive and equitable quality education; gender equality, and strengthened partnerships respectively in the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly, and supporting the emerging city of Ashaiman in the Ashaiman Municipality, in Accra.
 
Prof. Yidana has trained and continues to train undergraduate and postgraduate students and the mentorship of young faculty. Prof. Yidana has performed several consultancy services, both international and local organizations, including; World Health Organization (WHO), Catholic Relief Service (CRS), Star Ghana, Afram Plains Development Organization (APDO), Perfect Sanitation (PerfSan), among others.