OU science students win top accolades in South African diabetes research training
Oakwood University science students Jordan Matthews and Amal Taylor return to US, having received both high accolades and a top prize for their research training in health disparities in South Africa.
In its first-ever ranking of academic programs at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), EBONY magazine's September 2012 issue top-ranked Oakwood University's science program.
Funded by the National Institute for Minority Health and Health Disparities/National Institutes of Health, the Elizabeth City State University (NC) Minority Health International Research Training (E-MHIRT) Program provided opportunities for students from minority populations where there are health disparities to receive training designed to reduce and eliminate those health disparities wherever they occur.
Former Oakwood professor Dr. Ephraim Gwebu, the E-MHIRT Director, reached out to OU by inviting applications through Dr. Safawo Gullo, OU biology department chairman. Oakwood applicants Jordan Matthews and Amal Taylor joined eight others from HBCUs ECSU, North Carolina A&T State University and Norfolk State University (VA).
The students left the US in mid-May and completed their research training in mid-July, under the tutelage of US and African prominent mentors and facilitators: Ephraim Gwebu, Keratiloe Gwebu, and OU's Malcolm Cort, who collaborated with Adebola Oyedeji, Oluwantobi Oluwafemi, Opeoluwa Oyedeji and Benedicta Nkeh-Changug from the Walter Sisulu University (WSU) in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, to provide an intensive 10-weeks of research training for the students.
The Oakwood students worked on two separate research projects:
Jordan Matthews (right) was based in East London, where he focused on developing inexpensive tools for assessing pre-diabetes status for use in South Africa. Jordan's research activity took him to three clinics where he assisted in the collection of psycho-social and anthropometric data from sub-samples of persons with and without type 2 diabetes.
His main project was the development of a Diabetes Risk Score (DRS) as a simple tool for identifying pre-diabetes status. He presented his research at the 2013 Annual E-MHIRT Symposium at Walter Sisulu University on July 18, 2013.
He, like his counterparts from the United States, received excellent accolades from the WSU research judges who described the work as, "of a very high standard."
Amal Taylor (left) was based in Mthatha, in the Chemistry Department, where he was involved in the synthesis of compounds from plant metabolites with therapeutic potential.
Under Drs. Adebola Oyedeji and Opeoluwa Oyedeji, Amal was able to extract essential properties from a local plant believed to have some medicinal properties. Amal demonstrated that the plant extracts have hypotensive, anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties.
His report earned him not just high accolades, but first prize among his ten counterparts.
"Both Jordan and Amal left the research training more strongly resolved to pursue graduate education in their chosen fields, which was one of the major objectives of the training program," remarked Dr. Gullo, adding, "These science majors have held high the banner of an Oakwood University (science) education, and deserve our highest congratulations for their work.
"Finally, a special 'thanks' to Dr. Ephraim Gwebu, for including OU students in the E-MHIRT Program."
Congratulations are in order for our own sophomore, Chelsea Browne (pictured at right, with UAB's Dawn Fizer). She received the second place award for her research project and poster presentation entitled "Gender Based Violence Among HIV Positive Women in Kenya." First and third place awards went to sophomores from UAB and Tuskegee Universities respectively.
Dr. Maxine Garvey (pictured here with Chelsea) is the OU campus coordinator for the project and provides career advisement and monitoring of the interns' academic progress throughout the school year.
