The Vice Chancellor of Chrisland University, Prof. Chinedum Peace Babalola has been honoured as one of the 100 most inspiring women in Nigeria.

The honour which was bestowed on her by the Leading Ladies Africa (LLA) was due to her immeasurable impact and contributions in the field of  science , innovation  and  mentorship .

Leading Ladies Africa (LLA) is a women-focused non-profit organization that aims at driving Leadership for African Women, Promoting Women’s Rights in Africa and Ensuring African women empowerment and leadership.

Babalola while speaking with CEOAFRICA said I’m thrilled to be announced as one of the honorees on the Leading Ladies Africa (LLA) #100 Most Inspiring Women in Nigeria List. Honoured to be named among the diverse ranks of other amazing Nigerian woman pushing boundaries, and impacting the world in the most meaningful and powerful ways.

Today, I #ChooseToChallenge gender bias, inequality and all the negative stereotypes that prevent women over the world from becoming their best selves. I remain fully committed to ensuring that all women #WinTogether.”

Brief Profile of Prof Chinedum Peace Babalola

Chinedum Peace Babalola (née Anyabuike) FAS, FAAS, obtained a Bachelor of Pharmacy (B.Pharm.) degree in 1983 from the University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University. At the same university she received her M.sc. in 1987 and doctorate degree (Ph.D.) in Pharmaceutical Chemistry (Pharmacokinetics option) in 1997. Between 1994 and 1995, she completed her pre-doctoral fellowship at the University of British Columbia.

Chinedum became a registered pharmacist in 1984 and, 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 a registered public analyst (MIPAN) in 2001. She was promoted to 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 developed a novel High-performance liquid chromatography method for the analysis of quinine in biometrics. This novel method quinine analysis led to the elucidation of the pharmacokinetics of quinine in Africans and formed the basis of dose optimization in malaria patents.

Her feasibility studies on drug interactions and metabolism suggest a decrease in bioavailability and bacterial activity of certain antibiotics when combined with some anti-malaria drugs.

She is one of the scientists that reported the first pharmacogenetic study in healthy and sickle cell patients in Nigerians with pro-guanil as a probe. The report suggested that some Nigerians are carriers of mutant CYP2C19 genes and poor drug metabolizer.

She is the first pharmacist to be appointed as a specialist adviser and consultant in a Nigerian hospital – University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan.

In November 2017, she was appointed the Vice Chancellor of Chrisland University, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria. Babalola is the first female pharmacist Vice Chancellor in Nigeria.

Babalola turned Chrisland University into a world class university with several international students currently studying at the citadel of leaning.

Prof Chinedum is a receiver of several awards. The award of Advanced Industrial Pharmacy Training (IPAT) was jointly issued to her from Kilimanjaro School of Pharmacy, Tanzania and Purdue University, USA.

In 2020, she received the African Union award for her numerous outstanding scientific achievements and contribution through scientific research for the socio-economic development in Africa.

She is a receiver of several grants, including the German Academic Exchange Service, World Bank and MacArthur Grant. In 2011, she won a $1 million MacArthur Foundation Grant to set up a Centre for Drug Discovery, Development and Production (CDDDP) called centre of excellence at the University of Ibadan.

Since she became a professor, she has supervised hundreds of undergraduate students and over 30 postgraduate students (PGD, MSC, M. Phil &PhD). She had published over 120 scholarly articles in reputable academic journal as well as books, books chapter, conference abstracts and monograph.