Rose Leke
Rose Gana Fomban Leke | |
|---|---|
| Born | Cameroon |
| Occupation(s) | Malariologist, Immunologist, Parasitologist, Professor |
| Years active | –2013 (retired) |
| Known for | Research on pregnancy-associated malaria; L'Oréal-UNESCO Award for Women in Science (2024) |
Rose Gana Fomban Leke is a distinguished Cameroonian expert in malariology and holds the title of Emeritus Professor specializing in Immunology and Parasitology at the University of Yaounde I. In 2024, she was honored with the prestigious L'Oréal-UNESCO Award for Women in Science.
Early life and education
During her childhood, Leke frequently suffered from malaria, an experience that profoundly influenced her pursuit of a medical career, especially following treatment for a lung abscess in Limbe at age six. Although her mother did not attend school, her father, a teacher by profession, strongly supported her academic journey. She earned her bachelor's degree from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, Indiana, in 1966, then proceeded to obtain a master's degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign under the mentorship of David Silverman. In 1975, she completed her doctoral studies at Université de Montréal, Canada, with a dissertation titled Murine plasmodia: chronic, virulent and self-limiting infections.
Research
Professor Leke's scientific investigations center on pregnancy-associated malaria, a severe form of the disease that can affect women who have developed immunity and poses serious risks to newborns. She maintained a productive collaboration with Diana Taylor from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, culminating in a 2018 publication demonstrating that elevated parasite loads during pregnancy-associated malaria might confer enhanced protection to infants against future infections, whereas lower parasite burdens could increase vulnerability to the disease.
Awards and recognition
- Leke has occupied prominent leadership positions within immunology and malaria-focused organizations.
- Awarded the UNESCO-L’Oréal Award for Women in Science in 2024.
- Founder of the Cameroon Coalition Against Malaria.
- Served as president of the Federation of African Immunological Societies between 1997 and 2001 and was a council member of the International Union of Immunological Societies from 1998 to 2004.
- In 2002, she was appointed chairperson of Cameroon's National Medical Research Institute Board by presidential decree.
- Honored with the 2011 Kwame Nkrumah Scientific Award for Women by the African Union.
- Retired in 2013 after directing both the Department of Medicine and the Biotechnology Centre at the University of Yaoundé I.
- Delivered the Aggrey‐Fraser‐Guggisberg Memorial Lecture at the University of Ghana in 2014, which also conferred upon her an honorary Doctor of Science degree.
- Became an honorary international fellow of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in 2015; established the Higher Institute for Growth in Health Research for Women Consortium to support mentorship among women scientists in Cameroon.
- Recognized as a Heroine of Health by Women in Global Health and General Electric Healthcare during the 2018 World Health Assembly.
- Bestowed the title Queen Mother of the Cameroon Medical Community by the Cameroon Medical Council in 2019.
- Serves on both the World Health Organization’s Malaria Policy Advisory Committee and the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee focused on Polio Eradication.
- Received the 2023 Virchow Prize for groundbreaking infectious disease research aimed at malaria elimination and dedication to advancing gender equality; accompanied by a €500,000 award from the Virchow Foundation.
- Featured in Towards Women Participation in Scientific Research in Africa highlighting her impactful scientific achievements.
Personal life
Leke is a grandfather to multiple grandchildren.