Antimicrobial Resistance Action in Nigeria: Path to Genomic Surveillance (ID Epi Seminar Series)

Presented by Dr. Iruka N. Okeke, Professor of Pharmaceutical Microbiology at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Register for the event here.

Iruka is a molecular bacteriologist focused on diarrhoeal pathogens, bacterial drug resistance, and laboratory practice in Africa. Her laboratory studies the molecular epidemiology, pathogenesis and genomics of enteric bacteria and provides genomic support for public health surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in West Africa. The Okeke lab also engages in collaborative research to develop new therapies against neglected enteric bacteria.

Iruka received B.Pharm., M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees from Obafemi Awolowo University (formerly University of Ife), Nigeria and post-doctoral training at the University of Maryland, USA and Uppsala Universitet, Sweden. She is author/ co-author of several scientific articles and chapters as well as the books Divining Without Seeds: The case for strengthening laboratory medicine in Africa (Cornell Univ Press) and Genetics: Genes, Genomes and Evolution (Oxford Univ Press). She editor-in-chief of the African Journal of Laboratory Medicine. A teacher scholar, she has mentored over a hundred research students, the majority of whom continue to work in science and health.

Recommended readings:

• Okeke IN, Feasey N, Parkhill J, Turner P, Limmathurotsakul D, Georgiou P, Holmes A, Peacock SJ. Leapfrogging laboratories: the promise and pitfalls of high-tech solutions for antimicrobial resistance surveillance in low-income settings. BMJ Glob Health. 2020 Dec;5(12):e003622. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2020-003622. PMID: 33268385; PMCID: PMC7712442.
• NIHR Global Health Research Unit on Genomic Surveillance of AMR. Whole-genome sequencing as part of national and international surveillance programmes for antimicrobial resistance: a roadmap. BMJ Glob Health. 2020 Nov;5(11):e002244. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2019-002244. PMID: 33239336; PMCID: PMC7689591.