UNILAG Professor, Bose Afolabi Wins $2.5 Million Bill Gates Research Grant

A professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at the University of Lagos, (UNILAG), Bose Afolabi, has made history as she has emerged winner of a $2.5 million research grant by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Professor Afolabi has made giant strides in the field of sickle cell among pregnant women as she has a keen interest in maternal and fetal medicine, minimal access (laparoscopic) surgery and medical education.

She is a fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists UK, West African College of Surgeons, and the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria.

The main goal of her project was titled “Intravenous Versus Oral Iron for Iron Deficiency Anaemia in Pregnant Nigerian Women (IVON): a randomised controlled trial.”

The University of Lagos, (UNILAG) released a statement that revealed that Prof Afolabi would lead a multicentre study which will operate the research for three years.

The statement partly read: “The study will be conducted in 10 hospitals within Lagos and Kano States and it will recruit a total of 1,056 women at 20-32 weeks gestational age, who are diagnosed as having anaemia at the antenatal clinics of the hospitals,”

“In addition to the international collaborations and partnerships which the study will facilitate between UNILAG and other universities in the US and Europe, it will also contribute to local human capacity development with the sponsorship of junior faculty for postgraduate training,”