Sophia is from Nigeria and currently a Program Manager at the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN) and the Study Coordinator for the H3A funded project BEAMING (PI:Prof Alash’le Abimiku). The BEAMING study is based on 300 mother infant pairs from cohort in Jos, Nigeria and Capetown, South Africa. The project involves exploring host and microbial genetic determinants in breastmilk, that may alter the immunity of African infants and further affect their responses to vaccinations and overall growth.
Under the leadership of Prof Abimiku, Sophia has coordinated a number of studies and projects for over 10 years at the research and ISO 5189 accredited facility PLASVIREC (Plateau State Human Virology Research Center)
Sophia’s obtained her BSc (Hons) in Microbiology from the University of Jos, a postgraduate training program in Medical Laboratory Science with specialization in Virology, a Masters in Public Health and a Masters in Business Administration. She has also attended several trainings over the years on different areas including research coordination and laboratory techniques like molecular biology, flow cytometry, serology, etc. Sophia has co-authored 15 peer reviewed manuscripts and presented a number of abstract at local and international conferences. Sophia is part of the Study Coordinators and the HIV/AIDS WG. Her hobbies include: reading, cooking, meeting new people and travelling.
If you would like to reach her and interact further, you can email her at sosawe@ihvnigeria.org .