Professor Alash’le Abimiku elected Chair of the Board of Directors of ASLM

Johannesburg, South Africa – The board of directors of the African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM) has elected Professor Alash’le Abimiku as the 3rd chair in the organization’s 5 years history. The board also re-elected Dr Fausta Mosha as the secretary.

Dr Abimiku is Professor of Medicine at the Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, USA. She is also the Executive Director of the International Research Center of Excellence of the Institute of Human Virology, Nigeria. She has been a member of the board of ASLM for the past 5 years, and a nominee for the ASLM Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014.

“The Society is extremely fortunate to have in its new board chair such an experienced and talented person,” said Professor Souleymane Mboup, Director of Department of Bacteriology and Virology at the Cheik Anta Diop University, Dakar, Senegal. Alash’le Abimiku has been a tremendously active and committed board member. “Over the past 5 years,” she has led some of our most influential committees, including our research and publication committee; and has been active in the executive committee.  Her passion and commitment to strengthening laboratory medicine in Africa is unmatched, and I look forward to continuing my strong working relationship with her. I know Alash’le will be an excellent chairperson for the Society and is the quintessentially perfect nonprofit board chair, said Dr John Nkengasong, founding chair of the Board of Directors of ASLM.

Abimiku succeeds Dr Trevor Peter as board chair. Dr Peter steps down from the board chair after 3 highly productive years.

“I can’t say enough wonderful things about Trevor’s leadership these past 3 years,” Professor Wendy Stevens, Head of Molecular Medicine and Hematology at the South African National Health Laboratory Service said. “He has been a great pleasure to work with and has been an inspiration to his fellow board members. His knowledge of laboratory medicine in Africa, his integrity, his constant focus on the needs and his wisdom, gained from many years working in Africa were enormous assets to the Society.

For more information about ASLM, please visit www.ASLM.org.

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Established in 2011, the African Society for Laboratory Medicine is a pan-African professional body endorsed by the African Union and focused on improving healthcare by strengthening diagnostic testing. Laboratory testing is pivotal in disease diagnosis, epidemiological surveillance, outbreak investigations, initiation and monitoring of treatment, as well as research and development. ASLM will address these challenges by working collaboratively with governments, national, regional and international organizations, implementing partners, the private sector and other agencies to achieve the following goals by 2020.