Academic pharmacist wins N1.4m COVID-19 research grant

pharmacy

A lecturer from the Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Biopharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Lagos, Dr Ogochukwu Amaeze has bagged a research grant of N1,401,500 at the 4th Ladipo Mobolaji Abisogun-Afodu Annual Lecture.

Presentation of the grant cheque to Amaeze, took place at the venue of the lecture, the Old Great Hall, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Idi -Araba, Lagos.

The annual lecture endowment fund provides a window of opportunity for professorial candidates seeking scholarship or endowment for research in Pharmacy and Obstetrics/Gynaecology.

Amaeze, the team lead and principal investigator, was given the grant in honour of the works of late scientific innovator and pharmacist, Ladipo Mobolaji Abisogun-Afodu.

Titled “Pharmaceutical Intervention provided by community pharmacists during COVID-19 pandemic: A case study of Lagos State, Nigeria,” the research would be also been pioneered by other team members such as Alex Akinola, Dept. of Clinical Pharmacy and Biopharmacy; Mrs. Folashade Lawal, a clinical pharmacist and Dr. Ugochukwu Mbata, Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, UNILAG.

The pharmacist exclaimed that she and her team felt excited to be honoured with the prize money because research grants are hard to come by in Nigeria.

“This was actually my first ever research grant and I believe this will be the beginning of more local and international research grants to come.

“That is why I believe the N1,401,500 prize money would go a long way in helping us to complete the research. We hope it would prove enough to complete the research though,” she said.

She stated that the duration of the research was for one year, adding that she was optimistic the team of researchers could complete it within nine to 10 months.

Continuing, Amaeze disclosed that despite ravaging economic and social activities across the globe, the pandemic brought out the best from pharmaceutical researchers in the race to produce COVID-19 vvaccine.

Organised as an hybrid event, the 4th Ladipo Mobolaji Abisogun-Afodu Annual Lecture was graced by dignitaries such as the Vice- Chancellor, UNILAG, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe as chief host; Director General, NAFDAC, Prof. Moji Adeyeye as guest speaker; Pharm. Bruno Nwankwo, chairman of the occasion; Pharm. K.O Sunmonu, guest of honour; Prof. Kemi Odukoya, among others.

It would be recalled that the Board of Trustees for the annual lecture in Pharmacy was inaugurated by UNILAG’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Abdulrahamon Bello, on 2 June, 2016, in accordance with the instruction of the executors/trustees of the Estate of Chief (Mrs) Abimbola Aina Omololu-Mulele.

The late Mrs Omololu-Mulele is said to have provided, in her last will and testament dated 19 June, 2005, the sum of N36 million each for the endowment of two professorial chairs at the University of Lagos in the fields of Obstetrics/Gynecology and Pharmacy.