The Professor (Mrs.) Chinedum Peace BABALOLA

Professor (Mrs.) Chinedum Peace Babalola hails from the family of Sir
Dr. Isaac Ebere & late Lady Adeline Anyabuike from Imo State,
Nigeria. She is a Pharmacist, a distinguished Professor of
Pharmaceutical Chemistry/Pharmacokinetics and the immediate past Dean of
Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ibadan. She attended University of
Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University - OAU) to obtain her Bachelor of
Pharmacy (1983), M.Sc. (1987) and PhD (1997) in Pharmaceutical Chemistry
(Pharmacokinetics option). She proceeded to University of British
Columbia, Vancouver, Canada for a pre-doctoral fellowship between 1994
and 1995. She later obtained a Diploma in Advanced Industrial Pharmacy
Training (IPAT) jointly from Kilimanjaro School of Pharmacy, Tanzania
and Purdue University, USA. Professor Babalola became a registered
pharmacist in 1984 and a registered public analyst (MIPAN) in 2001.

Professor
Babalola started her teaching and research career in the Department of
Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, OAU, Ile-Ife in 1985 as a
Junior Trainee Fellow, rose through the ranks and transferred her
services to the University of Ibadan, in 1998 as a Senior Lecturer. She
was promoted to grade of Associate Professor in 2003 and full Professor
in 2006. By this promotion, she became the first female Pharmacist
Professor in the University of Ibadan and the first female professor to
deliver an inaugural lecture from Faculty of Pharmacy in 2011.

For
over 30 years, Babalola has focused her research on
pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics (PK/PD), pharmaceutical analysis,
pharmacogenetics and bioethics as tools to study the disposition of
several drugs (antimalarials, anti-microbials and other medicines) in
Nigerians as a guide to optimizing therapy in Blacks. She has combined
pharmacokinetics with pharmacodynamic principles in order to relate drug
levels in the body to treatment outcome and thus, improve rational
dosage regimen. Her research has revealed significant reduction in
levels of some classes of anti-bacterials by some antimalarial drugs in
human thus calling for urgent dose regimen adjustment. The outcome of
her research has revealed wide ethnic/racial/genetic variations in drug
disposition and treatment outcome which further generated her interest
in pharmacogenetics with respect to the African population.

She
and co-authors reported the first pharmacogenetic study in sickle cell
patients and healthy Nigerians using the prophylactic antimalarial drug,
proguanil as a probe. The report revealed that some Nigerians are poor
metabolisers, carriers of the mutant poor metabolizer genes - CYP2C19,
as well as marked differences between sickle cell patients and healthy
population on this metabolic pathway.

Babalola is an experienced
administrator and an agent of positive change. She has been Head of
Department (first female) of Pharmaceutical Chemistry (2003-2005 and
2012 – 2013), and Director, General Studies Program (GSP) Unit,
University of Ibadan, (2005-2010), where she introduced a new course
called “Drugs and Mankind” and also brought several innovations
including running malpractice-free processing of examinations which the
university has adopted for the process of post-UTME till date. .

Between
2013 and 2017, Babalola served two-tenures as the Seventh Dean of
Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ibadan; and again, the first female
to occupy the distinguished position. As a Dean, two main items on her
agenda were undergraduate program curriculum review (which was overdue
by over 18 years) and a purpose-built Laboratory complex for the
Faculty. These two feats she confidently and successfully initiated
their processes with feasible end dates in view. Others were renovation
and equipping of an e-library, beautification of the Faculty, attraction
of funds and support to the faculty, Faculty strategic plan, hosting of
a professional Journal, enhanced staff promotion and student welfare,
introduction of Dress code and White coat ceremony among others. She
established and mentors student leadership club and debating/speech club
amongst pharmacy students which has made them win speech contests and
debates within and outside Ibadan. Babalola was appointed as Head the
Deans Forum established by Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) for
all Pharmacy Schools in Nigeria from inception in 2014 till 2017 when
her tenure as Dean expired.

Professor Babalola is a recipient of
over 20 fellowships, awards and grants all over the world including
World Bank/NUC scholarship at University of British Columbia, Vancouver,
Canada; DAAD German Exchange Fellowship at University of Jena, Germany;
Research Scholar at Hartford Hospital, Connecticut, USA; MacArthur
Fellowship at College of Pharmacy and Temple University, Philadelphia,
USA; research grants by TWAS, MacArthur, NIH, WHO; UNIDO scholarship for
Industrial Pharmacy Advanced Training (IPAT), grants/awards form
pharmaceutical companies, and several travel/training awards. She has
travelled wide for research and training activities.

In her deep
craving for translational research in the area of drug discovery and
development for Africans and by Africans, Prof Babalola leading a team
of researchers in 2011 won a competitive MacArthur Foundation grant for
Higher Education to set up a Centre for Drug Discovery Development and
Production (CDDDP) in the University of Ibadan worth approximately One
million USD. The Centre, which MacArthur Foundation refers to as the
“First of its Kind in Africa” was designated by New Partnership for
African Development (NEPAD)/African Medicine Regulation Harmonization
(AMRH) in 2014 as one of the eleven Regional Centres of Regulatory
Excellence (RCORE) in Africa with oversight functions. The Centre
presently runs two University-Senate approved courses: Postgraduate
Diploma in Drug Discovery and Development (PDDD) and Master’s in Drug
Development and Regulatory Pharmacy (MDDRP). It also runs short-term
training workshops and conferences to fulfil her mandate. The target
participants are personnel and would-be personnel of Pharmaceutical
industries, Medicine Regulatory Agencies, healthcare
providers/administrators and Academia. CDDDP has a number of
medicinal/herbal products ready for registration by NAFDAC.

Due to
her novel academic contributions, Prof Babalola became the first female
pharmacist to be inducted as Fellow of Academy of Sciences (FAS) in
2011 (the highest scientific award in Nigeria), first female Nigerian to
be inducted Fellow of African Academy of Sciences (FAAS) in 2013.
Others are Fellow of Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (FPSN), Fellow of
West African Postgraduate College of Pharmacists (FPCPharm) and Fellow
of Nigerian Academy of Pharmacists (FNAPharm). She serves on several
committees in these organizations.

She is the first pharmacist to
be appointed as a specialist adviser and consultant in a Nigerian
hospital – University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan where she
contributes immensely to the research, capacity building, and
enhancement of pharmaceutical services in UCH.

She is also an
adjunct Professor in the Institute of Advanced Medical Research and
Training (IAMRAT) College of Medicine, UI where she collaborates with
several other medical researchers within and outside Nigeria.

A
Co-Principal Investigator for NIH/Fogarty D43 grant between UI and
University of Chicago focused on interdisciplinary training of African
clinical/biomedical researchers and research on non-communicable
diseases (NCDs); a Collaborator for another D43 NIH/Fogarty grant on
NeuroAids between University of Ibadan and NorthWestern University,
Chicago, USA;

Professor Babalola is also making waves in public
health related issues. She was a member of University of
Ibadan/University College Hospital Institutional Review Board (UI/UCH
IRB) from 2002 to 2013. She is a contributor to the first written
ethical guidelines in UI & UCH. She also served as Co-investigator
in Community Directed Intervention (CDI) programme sponsored by W.H.O.
between 2004-2008 for the control of malaria, tuberculosis, Vitamin A
deficiency and onchocerciasis in selected Local Government Areas in Oyo
State.

Professor Babalola is a member of many
international/national organisations such as International Society for
the Study of Xenobiotics (ISSX), International Association of
Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (IATDM-CT), African Organisation Research
Training in Cancer (AORTIC), Pharmacists Society of Nigeria (PSN),
Sickle Cell Hope Alife Foundation (SCHAF) and Institute of Public
Analyst of Nigeria (IPAN) to mention a few.

In 2016, she was selected as one of 10 most influential female scientists in Nigeria (10-most-influential-nigerian-women-in-science She
was recently selected as the only African (out of 11 persons
world-over) member of the Strategy Working Group (SWG) of the joint
committee of International Council for Science (ICSU) and International
Social Science Council (ISSC) globally
(http://www.icsu.org/news-centre/news/top-news/members-of-strategy-working-group-and-transition-task-force-appointed-to-develop-frameworks-for-possible-icsu-issc-merger).

Mentoring
gives her joy and she has taken her mentees and junior colleagues at
the University of Ibadan and Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife on the
ride with her by promoting their independent careers. She has supervised
several undergraduate and postgraduate students. Babalola has published
over 130 papers comprising of peer-review journals, monographs, book
chapters and abstracts in reputable international and local outlets.

Extracurricular activities: For
Chinedum Babalola, there is no dichotomy between the secular and the
spiritual. She loves God, assists her husband in the church ministry and
oversees the women ministry including youths and children. She loves
children and youth ministries. She loves music and loves to worship God
personally and has been a member of various choirs at one time or the
other. She has been guest speaker at many religious and empowerment
programmes.

Family: Professor Chinedum Peace
Babalola is married to a very supportive husband and charismatic
minister of God’s word, Venerable Collins Olufemi Babalola, who has
served God in several ministries and churches. He is presently the
Vicar/Archdeacon of St Stephen’s Church Inalende, Ibadan in Ibadan
Diocese. The union is blessed with three wonderful children.