Trailblazing African Female Global Health Leaders Receive USP CePAT's Top Honors

• Published date: 15 January 2017
• Publication title: Arab News Service

15 January 2017 (PRNewswire) The United States Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) honored four leading African women, including the President of Mauritius, for contributions in science and public health, during the Center for Pharmaceutical Advancement and Training's (CePAT's) Honors program today in Accra. Before receiving their awards, they joined USP's leadership team to mentor female students and young professionals from many African communities and launch this year's CePAT Women in Science Exchange (W.I.S.E.) program.

President of the Republic of Mauritius, H.E. Ameenah Gurib-Fakim (center), visits the Accra, Ghana, lab of the United States Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) Center for Pharmaceutical Advancement and Training (CePAT) with Ronald T. Piervincenzi, Ph.D. (left), chief executive officer, USP, and Patrick H. Lukulay, Ph.D. (right), vice president of Global Health Impact Programs for USP.

Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, President of the Republic of Mauritius, received a Lifetime Achievement Award for her contributions to public health in Africa and globally. Earlier in her career, she co-authored Africa's first herbal pharmacopeia, a compendium of herbal medicines.

President Gurib-Fakim said the demand for women leaders in science is high and encouraged the young women and students at the event to enter the pipeline for scientific careers, saying, 'We complain there are not enough women coming out of the pipe. If women are to assume leadership positions, we need more mentoring. This morning's program was precisely this. If we build their confidence and tell them from a young age that the sky's the limit, we will see more girls in the sciences.'

Other awardees included:

Gugu Nolwandle Mahlangu, Director-General, FDA Zimbabwe; Member-WHO Expert Advisory Panel on the International Pharmacopoeia and Pharmaceutical Preparations

Malebona Precious Matsoso, Director-General, National Department of Health, South Africa

Clavenda Parker, Liberia's first female pharmacist and former head of Liberian FDA

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