Grace Oladunni Taylor

Grace Oladunni Taylor
Born	(1937-04-24) April 24, 1937 Efon-Alaiye, Ekiti State, Nigeria
Occupation(s)	Biochemist, academic
Known for	Second female inducted into Nigerian Academy of Science; first African recipient of L'Oréal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science

Grace Oladunni Taylor (also referred to as Grace Oladunni Lucia Olaniyan-Taylor; born 24 April 1937) is a distinguished Nigerian biochemist who previously held a position at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. She holds the distinction of being the second female inducted into the Nigerian Academy of Science and was the first African to receive the L'Oréal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science.

Early life and education

Taylor was born in Efon-Alaiye, Ekiti State, Nigeria, to parents Elizabeth (née Olatoun) and R. A. W. Olaniyan. Her secondary education took place at Queen's School, Ibadan located in Ede. She commenced her higher education journey in 1957 at the Nigerian College of Arts and Science in Enugu, before transferring two years later in 1959 to University College Ibadan (now University of Ibadan), where she graduated with honors in chemistry in 1962.

Career and research

Following her graduation, Taylor began working at the Regional Agricultural Research Station (currently known as the National Root Crops Research Institute) situated at Moor Plantation, Ibadan. In 1963, she joined the University of Ibadan as a research assistant specializing in chemical pathology, completing her PhD in 1969. By 1970, she had been appointed lecturer and subsequently undertook a visiting research fellowship at the Northwest Lipid Research Laboratory in Seattle in 1975. Progressing through academic ranks, she became senior lecturer and reader by 1979. By this time married to Professor Ajibola Taylor, she expanded her international experience as a visiting scientist at the University of West Indies in Kingston during 1980 and achieved full professorship in chemical pathology at University of Ibadan by 1984. That year also saw her return to the Northwest Lipid Research Laboratory for another fellowship and assume a visiting scientist role in Port of Spain, Trinidad.

In 1990, Taylor accepted an associate professorship at the University of Zimbabwe School of Medicine before returning to University of Ibadan from 1991 to 1994 to serve as head of chemical pathology and honorary consultant at University College Hospital. Though she retired in 2004, she remained active in lecturing.

Taylor’s research focused on lipid profiling related to cardiovascular conditions, establishing that cholesterol concentrations are more affected by lifestyle factors such as diet and physical activity rather than ethnicity. Her work garnered numerous accolades including the Shell-BP Scholarship, World Health Organization Fellowship, Fulbright–Hays Fellowship, Ciba-Geigy Fellowship, and Association of African Universities Fellowship.

In 1997, she became the second woman inducted into the Nigerian Academy of Science. The following year, she was honored as the first African recipient of the L'Oréal-UNESCO Award for Women in Science. The Ekiti State Government acknowledged her impact on mentoring and medical education with an award in 2012.

Selected works

• Taylor, G. O., & Bamgboye, A. E. (1979). Serum cholesterol and diseases in Nigerians. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 32(12), 2540–2545.
• Taylor, G. O., Agbedana, E. O., & Johnson, A. O. K. (1982). High-density-lipoprotein-cholesterol in protein–energy malnutrition. British Journal of Nutrition, 47(3), 489–494.
• Taylor, O. G., Ahaneku, J. E., & Agbedana, O. E. (1995). Relationship between body mass index and changes in plasma total and HDL-cholesterol during hypertension treatment in African patients. Acta Medica Okayama, 49(5).
• Taylor, G. O., Orimadegun, B. E., Anetor, J. I., Adedapo, D. A., Onuegbu, J. A., & Olisekodiaka, J. M. (2007). Increased serum iron associated with coronary heart disease among Nigerian adults. Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences, 23(4), 518–522.
• Taylor, G. O., Ebesunun, M. O., Agbedana, E. O., & Oladapo, O. O. (2013). Variations in plasma lipids and lipoproteins among cardiovascular disease patients in South-western Nigerians. Biokemistri, 25(2).
• Taylor, G. O. (1971). Serum triglycerides and fatty acids in kwashiorkor. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 24(10), 1212–1215.
• Taylor, J. Communities of practice: A way of leading. Teaching and Learning, 40.
• Cheraskin, E. (1986). If High Blood Cholesterol Is Bad—Is Low Good? Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine, 1(3), 176–183.
• Bock, U. (2000). The Institutionalization of Women's Studies at German Universities at the End of the Century. European Education, 32(4), 14–32.

External links

• Comprehensive list of publications on WorldCat