Mr. Martin Anu Nkematabong joins the Johns Hopkins-Fogarty African Bioethics Training Program from Bamenda, Cameroon where he is a Senior Journalist with the Cameroon Tribune, and Deputy Provincial Chief of the Cameroon News and Publishing Corporation (SOPECAM) for the North West province. Martin has a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Buea, Cameroon and has an advanced diploma in Journalism from the Advanced School of Mass Communication in Yaounde.
Mr. Nkematabong has written several news articles covering a myriad of topics involving health research. He is particularly concerned with the quality of media coverage of ethical issues in human subject research. Martin is acutely aware of the influence that news reports can have - both positive and negative - on the health and safety of the people of Africa. He hopes that his training at Johns Hopkins will provide him with the necessary tools to better inform both reporters and readers of the nature of bioscientific research, the subtleties of research misconduct, and the costs and benefits of research for individual and community. Martin hopes for a change in climate, where opportunities for journalists to gain knowledge about research and research ethics are more widely available. mnkemat@yahoo.com
Mrs. Juliet Katoba Ndhlovu joins the Johns Hopkins-Fogarty African Bioethics Training Program from Lusaka, Zambia where she worked as a Research Associate with the Kaposi Sarcoma-associated Herpes-virus (HHV-8) study in the Department of Paediatric and Child Health, University of Zambia (UNZA). She obtained her bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Zambia, and completed her MPhil in Health Sciences - Infectious Diseases at the University of Bergen in Norway.
Juliet's interaction with researchers and research participants initially ignited her interest in research ethics. She has experience in counselling and testing HIV/AIDS patients in Zambia and is particularly interested in the intersection of bioethics and paediatric HIV/AIDS research. She has explored this issue both in her studies and while teaching courses in research methods and bioethics through the UNZA Department of Community Medicine. Juliet looks forward to being more intimately involved in research ethics at her home institution after her training at Johns Hopkins.jkatoba@yahoo.com
Dr. Solomon Kumbi Hawas joins the Johns Hopkins-Fogarty African Bioethics Training Program from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where he is an Assistant Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology at Addis Ababa University (AAU). Dr. Hawas obtained his medical degree and completed his residency at AAU.
Dr. Hawas has practiced, published, presented, and taught extensively in the area of reproductive health. His interests in bioethics are largely shaped by his wealth of experience as an OB/GYN. Solomon is particularly concerned with the intricacies of obtaining consent from adolescent women for matters related to sexuality and reproduction, especially where traditional conservatism makes obtaining consent from a parent or guardian difficult. He finds it equally troubling that researchers continue regularly to face individuals with manageable diseases, yet they are not well equipped to properly combine their research mandate with a care mandate. Dr. Hawas hopes that bioethics training at Johns Hopkins will allow him to make significant contributions to research oversight within his institution, and provide him with an enhanced ability to educate his students on the import of ethics at every stage of research and practice. solomonkumbi@yahoo.com
