The AuthorAID community celebrates Research Appreciation Day
Today marks Research Appreciation Day! You can read about the origin of the day here. As the official website states: "All progress, big or small, comes through research." AuthorAID supports women and men researchers all across the world; to celebrate Research Appreciation Day we put an open call out to the community to respond to several questions, to appreciate them and their research! AuthorAID members are passionate about their work and interests, whether it be their own research, or admiring others' contributions to their fields. The theme for this year's day is "celebrating the incredible breakthrough's made possible by research", so we asked the community about research that inspired them. We hope you enjoy reading about what the fantastic respondents are involved in and their varied experiences, and that you can reflect on what your research aspirations are, or the research inspired you. Thank you to the contributors!
Did any specific research breakthrough inspire you to get into research?
"Yes, a significant research breakthrough on development of a Niprisan drug for the treatment of a sickle cell anaemia in 1998. The drug was developed from four medicinal plants in collaboration with traditional herbal practitioners and Nigerian scientists. Though, Nisprisan was approved, and US patented in September 1998 to compete favourably with sickle cell drug (Hydroxyurea) which was the only one approved then. Unfortunately, it was entwined with multiple controversies about its toxicity and carcinogenicity side effects." Dr. (Mrs) Salisu Titilola F., Nigeria
"Yes, I was inspired by one of my Lecturers at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos. She had a major breakthrough in HIVAIDS. My lecturer then in Clinical Microbiology was Prof. Folashade Ogunshola (a medical doctor), the present Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos." Woman, Nigeria
"Actually, a quote by Robert Swan that states "The greatest threat to the environment is the belief that someone else will save it" inspired my foray into Environmental Engineering research." Olawale Theophilus Ogunwumi, Nigeria
"I got into research because I was inspired by solving problems linked to environment pollution in my area." Alice Nare, Burkina Faso
"The research breakthrough that inspired me the way Anaesthesia is found and developing gradually with which patient body can be cut without pain and patient can be made unconscious and recovered with no problem." Dr Shehu Usman Panda, Nigeria
What current research do you admire?
"Molecular toxicology of medicinal plants and Environmental toxicology of plastic and forever chemicals" Dr. (Mrs) Salisu Titilola F., Nigeria
"A research I conducted for my MSc thesis that revealed that Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolated from activated sludge sourced from food industry is ideal for treating landfill leachate." Olawale Theophilus Ogunwumi, Nigeria
"I admire research in biotechnology and artificial intelligence." Alice Nare, Burkina Faso
"I admire the development and use of artificial intelligence in many aspects of life." Dr Shehu Usman Panda, Nigeria
"I am fascinated by a recent study on infertile couples in a tertiary hospital in Nigeria. The research findings include the fact that 80% of the male partners in the research have sperm abnormality. This is really an eye opening because most times in Africa, it is mostly believed that, women are responsible for infertility in couples." Dr. Khadijah B. Ayoade-Suleiman, Nigeria
Tell us about your current research and the impact you hope it might have?
"The above research brought about an argument among my colleagues and I on what might be responsible for that alarming finding in that region of the country and it was penciled down to the probability of consumption of too much bitter cola by the men.
This prompted our research interest in conducting a cross sectional study on the perception of people on fertility and bitter cola consumption in Nigeria. And also further studies on the chemical component of bitter cola and its impact on fertility. The research findings will add to the body of knowledge on bitter cola and fertility, it will also in public health awareness on the effect of bitter cola and can impact policy." Dr. Khadijah B. Ayoade-Suleiman, Nigeria
"My current research is on molecular toxicology of medicinal plants in relation to dosages. I hope to make impact on prevention of disease outbreak and pathway to unfold the resistance of pathogens in disease management" Dr. (Mrs) Salisu Titilola F., Nigeria
"My research focuses on disability management in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). By conducting and publishing this research in the International Biomedical Journal, I aim to shed light on the 80% of the world's population living with disabilities in these regions. I hope this work will inspire positive changes in practices, provide hope, and offer new insights for better disability management." Farooq Azam Rathore, Pakistan
"My current research is in Veterinary Microbiology on H.pylori,Vibrio Cholerae in fruits and vegetables. It will have impact in the area of public health." Woman, Nigeria
"I’m currently working on a book chapter titled Biological Wastewater Treatment that is intended to provide a one-stop resource for biology-based wastewater treatment processes." Olawale Theophilus Ogunwumi, Nigeria
"I am working on environment pollution and depollution. I am trying to identify polluted soils in my country and do research on the different possibilities to depollute soils. The impacts of my research will help to get clean environment to avoid health impacts." Alice Nare, Burkina Faso
"My current research is on the effects of culture and traditions on pediatric circumcision. This is because parents, traditional and Orthodox health care givers do not give children adequate medical attention during the procedure because the children have no power to defend themselves and no body stands for them. It may impact on the care given to the children during the circumcision by finding out factors that can lead to improving the care given to the children during the procedure." Dr Shehu Usman Panda, Nigeria
"My research was focusing on the detection of Staphylococcus and E. coli isolates, their antimicrobial susceptibility profiles, and the presence of resistance genes from raw milk from goats, cows, and buffalo. The study involved collection of milk samples from goats, cows, and buffalo to identify Staphylococcus and E. coli isolates. The isolates were then subjected to various biochemical tests, including coagulase and indole tests, to confirm their presence. Following identification, antimicrobial susceptibility testing was conducted using the disk diffusion method against a range of antibiotics to determine resistance patterns. Furthermore, molecular methods such as Multiplex PCR were employed to detect specific resistance genes, including those conferring resistance to vancomycin and methicillin in Staphylococcus and beta-lactamase genes in E. coli. The impact: enhanced treatment strategies. The data generated on antimicrobial susceptibility will guide the development of more effective treatment regimens for mastitis and other bacterial infections in dairy animals. This could lead to reduced mortality rates and improved animal health." Hazvinei Mang'anda, Malawi
What do you love most about doing research?
"Research is really interesting I love the fact that the findings will add to public health and academic discourse and also impact policy." Dr. Khadijah B. Ayoade-Suleiman, Nigeria
"I love finding preventive measures and solutions to identified problems that affect global health." Dr. (Mrs) Salisu Titilola F., Nigeria
"For researchers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), conducting research goes beyond merely publishing in a journal. It also involves creating opportunities for new avenues of exploration, fostering collaborations with colleagues in high-income countries, and establishing a presence in the global research and writing community." Farooq Azam Rathore, Pakistan
"It's capacity to influence action and drive policy change." Olawale Theophilus Ogunwumi, Nigeria
"I love finding something that can make life better." Dr Shehu Usman Panda, Nigeria
Anything else you'd like to say?
"I love research because it delves into the societal problems and proffer solution to it." Dr. Khadijah B. Ayoade-Suleiman, Nigeria
"Research is very rich and impactful but are researchers rich enough to make impact?" Dr. (Mrs) Salisu Titilola F., Nigeria
"Environmental Engineering Researchers/Scientist have been at the forefront of the global pollution mitigation and control and, I salute their resilient and courage." Olawale Theophilus Ogunwumi, Nigeria
Thumbnail image: James O. Isaacs, AuthorAID member