Adeyinka Gladys Falusi

She hails from Ekiti State, southwestern Nigeria. As a growing up in Efon Alaaye in Ekiti State, Nigeria, Prof. Falusi was inspired to study science by an older girl (Grace Oladunni Olaniyan,  now  Prof.  Taylor)  who lived in their neighbourhood.[4]   She studied Chemistry at the University of Ibadan (UI). She proceeded to moved from Chemistry to Haematology (blood study) at the College of Medicine, University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan where she got her M.Phil in 1981 and PhD in 1986.[5][6]

Professor Falusi had visited many countries doing research on Genetics of Sickle Cell Disease before she became a Professor in 2001. She is a co-founder of Sickle Cell Association of Nigeria (SCAN), as the Founder, from 2013, she has been the President of the Sickle Cell Hope Alive Foundation.[7] In 2001, she was appointed the Chairperson of the University of Ibadan and University College Hospital Institutional Review Committee where the first well-organised and functional Institutional Ethics Committee in Nigeria  was  established in the University of Ibadan under her leadership. It was this same year that she won the L'Oréal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science.[8] She served in that capacity for 4 years and in 2005, she became the coordinator for Nigeria Networking for Ethics of Biomedical Research in Africa.[9]

In 2005, she was bestowed with the National Productivity Order of Merit Fellowship and in 2009,[10] she was elected as fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Science, the apex scientific organization in Nigeria.[11] In 2013, she received the Ekiti State Merit Award and was decorated by Kayode Fayemi, the governor of Ekiti State.[12] Was given the Access to Basic Care (ABC) Distinguished Personality Award for promoting the welfare of sickle cell patients globally and beyond the call of duty in 2014.[4] She has researched and published in the genetics of some non- communicable diseases such as breast cancers, asthma, malaria and specifically the haemoglobinopathies of sickle cell disease and the thalassaemias and other genetic modifiers.

She has over 60 journal articles and book chapters, 50 abstracts and over 80 conference articles and proceedings. She is currently focused on awareness and education of the public on sickle cell disease (Ref. The National Health Initiative for Rural Dwellers (HIRD) in Oyo State Nigeria - www.schafng.org).

She is happily married to Professor Abiodun Falusi, a Professor of Agricultural Economics with five children.[13]

• Babalola Chinedum Peace