Hosted by Wealth Okete , The Immunology in Africa Podcast explores narratives at the nexus of immunology & Africa. We ask professors, postdocs, PhD students, and everyone in between to tell us about their journey into immunology, the questions driving their current work, and the impact they hope to make on the continent. To support our efforts towards amplifying African stories of immunology, you can buy us coffee or nominate a guest . -- Launching in April 2025...
Jun 18, 2025•42 min•Season 2Ep. 30
Hosted by Wealth Okete , The Immunology in Africa Podcast explores narratives at the nexus of immunology & Africa. We ask professors, postdocs, PhD students, and everyone in between to tell us about their journey into immunology, the questions driving their current work, and the impact they hope to make on the continent. To support our efforts towards amplifying African stories of immunology, you can buy us coffee or nominate a guest . -- Launching in April 2025, our ...
May 31, 2025•47 min•Season 2Ep. 29
Hosted by Wealth Okete , The Immunology in Africa Podcast explores narratives at the nexus of immunology & Africa. We ask professors, postdocs, PhD students, and everyone in between to tell us about their journey into immunology, the questions driving their current work, and the impact they hope to make on the continent. To support our efforts towards amplifying African stories of immunology, you can buy us coffee or nominate a guest . -- Launching in April 2025, our specia...
May 14, 2025•47 min•Season 2Ep. 28
Hosted by Wealth Okete , The Immunology in Africa Podcast explores narratives at the nexus of immunology & Africa. We ask professors, postdocs, PhD students, and everyone in between to tell us about their journey into immunology, the questions driving their current work, and the impact they hope to make on the continent. To support our efforts towards amplifying African stories of immunology, you can buy us coffee or nominate a guest . -- Launching in April 2025, our special TB I...
Apr 30, 2025•54 min•Season 2Ep. 27
This 'bonus' episode celebrates our growth over the past 2+ years and revisits insightful moments from past episodes published in 2024. If any of these highlights interest you, feel free to check out the full episode for a more enriching experience. --- Hosted by Wealth Okete , The Immunology in Africa Podcast explores narratives at the nexus of immunology & Africa. We ask professors, postdocs, PhD students, and everyone in between to tell us about their journey into immunology, the question...
Mar 19, 2025•15 min
This 'bonus' episode celebrates our growth over the past 2+ years and revisits insightful moments from past episodes published between 2022 and 2023. If any of these highlights interest you, feel free to check out the full episode for a more enriching experience. --- Hosted by Wealth Okete , The Immunology in Africa Podcast explores narratives at the nexus of immunology & Africa. We ask professors, postdocs, PhD students, and everyone in between to tell us about their journey into immunology...
Mar 05, 2025•16 min
ImmunoAfrica's Graduate Student Series offers emerging and aspiring immunologists the opportunity to connect with, learn from, and be inspired by some of the most talented immunology graduate students from Africa. For its second edition, this year, we peek into the fascinating work and busy lives of 4 graduate students (Vania, Onyeka, Deo-Gracias, and Segun), representing 3 African countries: Benin, Mozambique, and Nigeria. Our fourth and last guest is Segun Afolaranmi . Segun trained as a medic...
Dec 02, 2024•50 min•Season 1Ep. 26
ImmunoAfrica's Graduate Student Series offers emerging and aspiring immunologists the opportunity to connect with, learn from, and be inspired by some of the most talented immunology graduate students from Africa. For its second edition, this year, we peek into the fascinating work and busy lives of 4 graduate students (Vania, Onyeka, Deo-Gracias, and Segun), representing 3 African countries: Benin, Mozambique, and Nigeria. Our third guest is Seyigbena P. Deo-Gracias Berry. Deo-Gracias is a PhD ...
Nov 18, 2024•57 min
ImmunoAfrica's Graduate Student Series offers emerging and aspiring immunologists the opportunity to connect with, learn from, and be inspired by some of the most talented immunology graduate students from Africa. For its second edition, this year, we peek into the fascinating work and busy lives of 4 graduate students (Vania, Onyeka, Deo-Gracias, and Segun), representing 3 African countries: Benin, Mozambique, and Nigeria. Our second guest is Onyeka Chukwudozie. Onyeka Chukwudozie is a virologi...
Nov 04, 2024•48 min•Season 1Ep. 24
ImmunoAfrica's Graduate Student Series offers emerging and aspiring immunologists the opportunity to connect with, learn from, and be inspired by some of the most talented immunology graduate students from Africa. For its second edition, this year, we peek into the fascinating work and busy lives of 4 graduate students (Vania, Onyeka, Deo-Gracias, and Segun), representing 3 African countries: Benin, Mozambique, and Nigeria. Our first guest is Vania Maphossa. Vania Maphossa is a PhD student in Bi...
Oct 21, 2024•43 min•Season 1Ep. 23
Dr. Ane Ogbe is an Associate Scientific Director at Moderna. Previously a postdoctoral immunologist at the University of Oxford, her work contributed to the current understanding of HIV and COVID-19 immunology. Her research has been largely driven by the desire to gain insights into the dynamic role T cells play in the development and maintenance of immunity to infectious diseases. She began her scientific career in Nigeria, where she studied for a bachelor's in biological science at the Ahmadu ...
Aug 27, 2024•53 min•Season 1Ep. 22
Dr. Catherine Kibirige trained as a biochemist at the University of Bath, before earning a doctorate in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at The Johns Hopkins University. She is currently a Research Manager at Imperial College London. Following a childhood interest, she has been involved in HIV-1 clinical research alongside large epidemiological cohort studies for over 20 years. She currently leads 'The HIVQuant Project' - www.hivquant.com which she founded to develop a special HIV quantific...
Jul 29, 2024•50 min•Season 1Ep. 21
Dr. Ousmane Traoré is an immunology and parasitology researcher currently working as Laboratory Manager at the Clinical Research Unit of Nanoro (CRUN / URCN) in Burkina Faso. He was a key figure in several malaria vaccine trials, including the phase II and III trials for R21/Matrix-M and the phase II trial for RH5/Matrix-M. His primary responsibilities include overseeing lab activities associated with clinical trials. Dr. Traoré, who holds a PhD in Applied Biology from Université Nazi Boni in Bo...
Jul 08, 2024•48 min•Season 1Ep. 20
Dr. Gatien Lokossou leads the Human Biology Engineering Department at the University of Abomey-Calavi, Benin, where he also doubles as a lecturer in Immunology and Cell Biology. His current research involves elucidating the microbiota composition of human breast milk and evaluating the protective function of immune cells and antibodies in breast milk against malaria in infants. Prior to joining the University of Abomey-Calavi, Dr. Lokossou earned a PhD in Immunology at Paris Descartes University...
May 23, 2024•46 min•Season 1Ep. 19
Dr. Rebecca Chukwuanukwu is an Associate Professor of Immunology at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria, where she researches host immune responses to diseases. Her educational background is in biomedical sciences, with a specialty in haematology and blood transfusion. She obtained two master's degrees: first, in Haematology at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and then, in Immunology and Allergy at the University of Nottingham, UK, before proceeding to pursue a PhD in Immun...
May 06, 2024•45 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Prof. Samuel Essien-Baidoo is an Associate Professor in Laboratory Medicine at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana, and a Fellow of the West African Postgraduate College of Medical Laboratory Science. His research is dedicated to exploring the intricate interplay between natural and artificial determinants of adverse health outcomes, particularly in the context of infectious and non-infectious diseases. Away from research, Prof. Essien-Baidoo has a wealth of administrative experience, having ser...
Mar 18, 2024•50 min•Season 1Ep. 17
Dr. Oghenebrume Wariri is a Clinical Research Fellow in Vaccines and Immunity at the MRC Unit The Gambia at LSHTM. His research focuses on vaccine epidemiology, particularly examining the performance of country-level immunization systems and investigating how broader demand- and supply-side factors influence the delivery and uptake of routine childhood vaccination in West Africa. Dr. Wariri received his Medical Degree (MBBS) from the University of Benin (Nigeria) and specialized as a Paediatrici...
Jan 29, 2024•51 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Graduate Student Series (GSS) 1.0 (Episode 6 of 6) Kumba Seddu started her PhD journey at Johns Hopkins University where she investigated male and female immune differences to viral vaccines and infections. Her research added to the growing evidence that vaccinated females have greater antibody responses than males. This increased vaccine-induced antibody response in females is due to hormonal (estrogen) effects and sex chromosome (XX) effects. Now at Harvard Medical School, she is studying the ...
Dec 11, 2023•50 min•Season 1Ep. 15
Graduate Student Series (GSS) 1.0 (Ep. 5 of 6) Ubong Ekperikpe is a Ph.D. candidate in the Experimental Therapeutics and Pharmacology program at the University of Mississippi Medical Center where he studies obesity and kidney diseases. He trained as a Pharmacist at the University of Jos, before earning a master's degree in Pharmacology at the University of Benin, both in Nigeria. He has also served as a Junior Research Fellow at the School of Pharmacy, University of the Western Cape, South Afric...
Nov 16, 2023•53 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Graduate Student Series (GSS) 1.0 (Ep. 4 of 6) Tatenda Murangi completed his bachelor's degree in Biology, majoring in Tropical Disease Biology, at the Chinhoyi University of Technology, Zimbabwe. He is currently a PhD Candidate in Clinical Science and Immunology at the University of Cape Town (UCT), South Africa, where he studies alpha-gal allergy. His PhD work, which builds on his MSc research explores the role of parasitic infections in the onset of this allergy and is jointly supervised by P...
Oct 23, 2023•58 min•Season 1Ep. 13
Graduate Student Series (GSS) 1.0 (Ep. 3 of 6) Marah Grace Chibwana holds a medical degree (MBBS) from the Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, and an MSc in Integrated Immunology from the University of Oxford. For her PhD, she was recently awarded the Rhodes Scholarship to read for a DPhil in Molecular and Cellular Medicine at the University of Oxford. Building on her MSc research, her PhD will focus on understanding the factors that drive neutrophil behaviour and heterogeneity. Findings from ...
Sep 29, 2023•47 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Graduate Student Series (GSS) 1.0 (Ep. 2 of 6). Doudou Georges Massar Niang grew up aspiring to be a professional basketball player — but he's now enamored with the field of immunology. With a doctor of Pharmacy and two Masters degrees from Cheikh Anta Diop University, Doudou's background spans hematology, cancer immunology and genetics. He has spent the last four years of his PhD exploring the roles of galectin-3 and various cytokines on breast cancers. The overall goal of his research is to un...
Sep 06, 2023•48 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Graduate Student Series (GSS) 1.0 (Ep. 1 of 6). Richard Adeleke (DVM) trained as a veterinarian at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, where he first took an interest in immunology and vaccine development. He is currently a Ph.D. student in Immunology and Infectious Diseases at Cornell University, USA, and works in Professor Hector Aguilar-Carreno's Lab. His research centres around vaccine development for viruses with pandemic potential, specifically SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and M...
Aug 17, 2023•43 min•Season 1Ep. 10
Abena Amoah (PhD) is the lead for the HypoVax Global Knowledge Hub based at Leiden University Center for Infectious Diseases of the Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden University, in the Netherlands. The knowledge hub is focused on understanding variations in vaccine responses across geographical areas and populations. It aims to address the central question of why weaker responses to some vaccines are seen in some regions compared to others and brings together researchers from around the w...
Jul 24, 2023•40 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Chinedu Alphonsus Ugwu (PhD) holds a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) with distinctions from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, a Master of Science in Integrated Immunology from the University of Oxford, UK, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Veterinary Sciences from the University of Cambridge, UK. He specializes in translational immunology, vaccine, immunotherapeutic designs for pathogens, and one health approach to tackling disease outbreaks. He currently lectures in the Biological Sciences Dep...
Jun 02, 2023•52 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Professor Dimie Ogoina is a Professor of Medicine and Head of the Infectious Diseases Unit at the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital, in Bayelsa, Nigeria. He obtained his Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery degree from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and has spent the last two decades researching various infectious diseases. Professor Ogoina's research interests span HIV/AIDS, healthcare-associated infections, infection prevention and control, antimicrobial resistance, and epidemic-prone ...
Apr 29, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Professor Raquel Matavele Chissumba is a Professor of Immunology and Head of the Endemic Diseases with High Sanitary Impact program - at the Instituto Nacional de Saúde, Mozambique's National Institute of Health. She researches diseases such as HIV, TB, HTLV, and COVID-19 and contributes to understanding and exploring various therapies against them. Inspired by her experiences as a young girl, her works attempt to tackle various challenges in her home country and continent, especially in the con...
Apr 14, 2023•43 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Dr. Fabien Prodjinotho is a senior scientist in immunology and parasitology at the Technical University of Munich, Germany, and a co-founder of the Benin Society of Immunology. Although his research career in neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) began in his home country, Benin, securing the DAAD scholarship led him to Germany, where he continued to follow his passion. His ultimate goal is to build capacities for immunological research and novel technology development for diagnosis in NTDs, especi...
Feb 27, 2023•42 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Dr. Muki Shey is a Chief Research Scientist (at the Associate Professor level) and recipient of the Wellcome Intermediate Fellowship in Public Health & Tropical Medicine at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. In this episode, starting from his humble beginnings in Cameroun, he shares his journey and evolution into embracing the mucosal-associated invariant T cells (MAIT cells) as a researcher in South Africa. His research, which now explores the role of these unconventional T cells in...
Jan 30, 2023•37 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Mohamed Ahmed (PhD) is a fellow of the Sub-Saharan African Network for TB/HIV Research Excellence (SANTHE) and a recent PhD graduate of the Africa Health Research Institute (AHRI) associated with the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal in Durban, South Africa. In this episode, he talks about his return to tuberculosis (TB) research for his PhD after a not-so-motivating undergraduate experience. His PhD research showed that Interferon-gamma, a key regulator of TB immunity, interacts with Mycobacterium t...
Dec 14, 2022•52 min•Season 1Ep. 3
