Science Heroes: Frederick Banting & Charles H. Best (discovered Insulin) and latterly Professor Ijeoma Uchegbu (Nanomerics)

 

Research: Pedagogical innovations in Pharmacy Education and Pharmaceutical Care in Long Term Conditions

 

Story

Prof Apampa became inspired by science during her high school days in Queen’s College Lagos, Nigeria. This passion led her to pursue an undergraduate degree in Pharmacy in Nigeria, followed by MSc/PhD degrees at the University of Manchester, UK during which she worked on characterising the biology and pharmacology of Interleukin 1 beta. Despite belonging to a minority group in the UK, Prof Apampa’s passion for Pharmacy and hard work propelled her to succeed. She is one of just 18 black female professors in the UK as of July 2016 and recently launched a new Pharmacy degree at the University of Sussex, UK, where she is the Director of Pharmacy. She is a role model to many Pharmacists in the UK and mentors students from all backgrounds to go to university. She strongly advocates that everybody can do it if they try to, regardless of who they are or their ethnicity.

 

Advice 

Aspiring scientists should set their dream sights higher and not listen to people who warn you to lower your sights, scale back your ambitions a bit and settle for something less. By rising to new challenges, setting and striving for new goals, you will develop the courage to follow your heart and put in the hard work it takes to succeed as a scientist.