Professor Chinedum Peace Babalola is our Personality of the Month

pharmacy

Professor (Mrs) Chinedum Peace Babalola (nee Anyabuike) is the incumbent vice chancellor of Chrisland University, Abeokuta, Ogun State.

Born over 50 years ago to the family of Sir (Dr) Isaac Ebere and late Lady Adeline Anyabuike from Imo State, the pharmacist is a distinguished Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry/Pharmacokinetics and the immediate past dean, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ibadan.

Babalola attended University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU), where she obtained her Bachelor of Pharmacy degree (1983), her M.Sc. (1987) and her PhD (1997) in Pharmaceutical Chemistry (Pharmacokinetics option). Prior to her PhD degree, she had been to the 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.

Babalola became a registered pharmacist in 1984 and, much later, a registered public analyst (MIPAN) in 2001. In 1985, the professor started her teaching and research career in the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, OAU, Ile-Ife, as a Junior Trainee Fellow. She soon rose through the ranks to become a lecturer. Shortly after, she transferred her services to the University of Ibadan in 1998 as a senior lecturer.

Babalola became an associate professor in 2003 and a full professor in 2006.  By this promotion, she became the first female pharmacist professor at the University of Ibadan and the first female professor to give inaugural lecture from the Faculty of Pharmacy in 2011.She was also the first female head of department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry twice (2003-2005 and 2012–2013), during which periods she lifted the infrastructure and standard of the department.

Between 2013 and 2017, Babalola served two tenures as the seventh dean of Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ibadan. Again, she was the first female to occupy the distinguished position.  She is a recipient of over 20 fellowships, awards and grants from all over the world, including World Bank/NUC scholarship at University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada and DAAD German Exchange Fellowship at University of Jena, Germany.

Babalola 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 research, capacity building, and enhancement of pharmaceutical services.