Dr Vinie Kouamou from Cameroon is one of the winners of the l’Oréal young sub-Saharan talent prize. She is conducting research on antiretroviral (ARV) resistance. In everything she does, she is always characterized by the desire to do well.
“I have an extraordinary character, everything I do, I do well.” This is how Dr Vinie Kouamou describes herself. She is one of the 20 young women scientists from sub-Saharan Africa selected for this year’s competition.
Her work on molecular virology, specifically on ARV resistance, was awarded a prize in Kigali by L’Oréal. She won 10,000 Euro to help her with her research.
Her work is based on three main objectives. Firstly, she wants to address the problem of ARV resistance, especially among children and adolescents infected with HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe.
Secondly, she wants to use bioinformatics techniques to optimize the treatment of these children.
And finally, she intends to develop molecular techniques that will be cheaper and faster in Africa. The aim is to detect ARV resistance in children and adolescents who are not taking the drugs properly.
Everything predestined her to become a woman scientist
This girl embraced science as a teenager, motivated by her family. Vinie Kouamou was born in 1988 in Cameroon to a mother who is a retired laboratory scientist. She grew up in a scientific environment.
Her grandfather was a doctor. Even as a child, she was passionate about science. “When I saw my grandfather talking about science and surgery during the holidays, those were pleasant moments for me,” she recalls with nostalgia. In addition, her cousins and aunts are in the science field.
Her only choice in high school was to take science subjects. They prepared her to pursue Biochemistry at the University of Yaoundé I in Cameroon. A Bachelor’s degree was obtained through hard work. She decided to do the Masters in Biochemistry before going to Zimbabwe for a Masters in Chemical Pathology.
With two Masters degrees, Vinie Kouamou felt well prepared to tackle molecular virology at the PhD level. Through contact with an American professor in Harare, she became interested in antiretroviral resistance in Zimbabwe, in a post-doctoral research.
Sports and movies are her lobbies
Vinie Kouamou loves playing sports. “I have this principle of keeping my body healthy and my mind healthy,” she says. She goes cycling and walks in the mountains to contemplate nature. But the scales tip towards nature. “I love nature,” she says.
In her spare time, Vinie often watches movies. She has a preference for action films. “That doesn’t mean I don’t like romantic films,” she says. Sometimes she doesn’t hesitate to dance when the situation favours it.
She feels that the time has come to start a family. She is not materialistic despite her many diplomas. “The most important thing is to find someone who loves and respects you,” she reveals. So the covalent relationship will be permanent.
Her first name, Vinie, means a person who has the power to win people’s hearts. Her name, Kouamou, means a person who loves others.
She is ready to be a good wife. Hypocrisy is banned in her life.
Gérard Rugambwa
