One of US government-owned leading health institutions, the Centers for Disease Control, CDC has honored a US-based Nigerian scientist who led a research study that won this year CDC's award for outstanding research, Empowered Newswire reports.
Dr Joseph Igietseme, Nigerian-Born Bio-Medical Scientist, a top scientist and researcher at the Atlanta based, US federal government- owned Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) led others to win the this year's prestigious Charles C. Shepard Science Awards, which is to recognize excellence in science achievement by CDC scientists and authors of outstanding scientific papers, according to the CDC.
His expertise in the US scientific research community is underscored by the fact that the American government through its agencies like the CDC and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) estimate about $20 million to support Igietseme's research over the last decade and he is also reputed to have over 200 peer-reviewed research publications, reviews articles and presentations as an academic scientist.
The Shepard awards is named after Dr. Shepard, a former CDC scientist, whose career was marked by the pursuit of scientific excellence and given to authors of the most outstanding peer-reviewed research paper published by CDC scientists during the preceding year on an annual basis.
According to the CDC, the awards which began in 1986 was presented to Dr. Igietseme by the CDC Director Dr. Thomas R. Frieden and President Obama's White House Senior Advisor on Science and Technology, Dr. John Holden at an impressive event in Atlanta recently.
Igietseme's 2009 research paper, which was titled Role of T lymphocytes in the pathogenesis of Chlamydia disease, had other co-authors, including two other Nigerians Dr. Francis Eko and Godwin Ananaba, while Igietseme led the pack.
While Eko is an Associate Professor at the Moorehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, US, Ananaba is also an Associate Professor from Clark Atlanta University, US. Igietseme who formed and led the team became a full-ranked US Professor in 2002. While Igietseme is from Edo State, Eko is from Cross River State and Ananaba from Abia State
The other co-authors of the award-winning article which was published in the Journal of Infectious Disease, volume 200, include Dr. Qing He, Ms Kahaliah Joseph, Dr. Deborah Lyn, Ms Angela Campbell, Dr. Claudiu Bandea, and Dr. Carolyn Black,
Dr. Igietseme was trained at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), where he earned his Bachelor's degree in Science and later got his PhD from Georgetown University, Washington, DC.
Regarded in the CDC and the US as a seasoned Immunologist, Microbiologist and biomedical science expert, Igietseme was appointed after his training as Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology at the University of Arkansas for Medical sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas from 1993 -1996.
He was later promoted Associate Professor of Microbiology & Immunology at Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta Georgia from 1998-2002, and as Professor of Microbiology & Immunology at Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta Georgia in 2002.
The ranking in main US universities for academics starts from Instructor to Assistant Professor, Associate Professor and Full Professor rank is the highest. It takes several years in-between to attain the promotion.
It was in 2002 that the CDC named Igietseme, its Chief of Molecular Pathogenesis Laboratory, while he still maintains a part-time Adjunct Professor position at Moorehouse School of Medicine Emory University Medical School, Atlanta.
Dr. Igietseme is also a member of US Govt Expert Advisory panels and boards with expertise and skills in the development of biomedical science and research infrastructures and projects in medical schools, universities and agency (Govt/private) settings.
Dr. Igietseme’s current research focus is in Basic and applied immunology and microbiology, infection and immunity, vaccine development and unraveling the mechanisms of disease, pathogenesis. He is also an active member of the Nigerian Diaspora in the US. For he instance, Dr. Igietseme is a co-founder or member of several Diasporan Socio cultural and Economic Organizations, including: Nigerians in Diaspora Organization (NIDO), where he served as a Board Member, and the Arkansas Association of Nigerians (AAN), which he served as General Secretary.
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