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Featured in this issue

1. Prof. Victor Temple
2. Dr. Michael Lokuruka

 

 

Prof. Victor Temple

Prof. Victor TempleVictor Jonathan Temple, M. Sc. (Biochemistry); Ph.D.(Biochemistry/ Enzymology); C. Biol., M.S.B (M. I. Biol.)

Dr. Victor Jonathan Temple is a Biochemist with special interest in Nutrition and Toxicology. He holds M. Sc. degree in Biochemistry (1972 to 1977) and Ph. D. degree in Biochemistry, specializing in Enzymology (1977 to 1980) from the Moscow State University, Moscow, Soviet Union. In 1983 he became a member of the Institute of Biology (M. I. Biol.), UK, and a Chartered Biologist (C. Biol.), UK, in 1985. He is a member of the Society of Biology (M.S.B), UK. He was the recipient of the UNESCO Fellowship Awards to the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), College of Neuro-Chemistry, Trieste, Italy, in 1990 and in 1995.

Dr. V. J. Temple was Chief Biochemist in the Central Government General Hospital (Connaught Hospital) in Freetown, Sierra Leone, from Oct 1980 to Dec 1981. During this period he also taught Natural Product Chemistry in Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone. In January 1982, he was appointed lecturer in the Department of Biochemistry Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Jos (UniJos) in Plateau State Nigeria. Promoted to Senior Lecturer in 1990, he became Associate Professor in 1993 and a full Professor in 1996. Wishing to contribute to the rebuilding of his motherland, he joined the College of Medicine & Allied Health Sciences (CMAHS), University of Sierra Leone, as Associate Professor and Head of Biochemistry in the Faculty of Medical Sciences in April 1997. Due to the resurgence of the Civil War in Sierra Leone in 1997, he had to rejoin his family in Riga, Latvia. During the Spring & Winter academic sessions in 1998 he was appointed Docent in the Department of Medical Biochemistry in the Latvian Medical Academy in Riga. In Dec 1998, he joined the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) as senior lecturer in the Division of Basic Medical Sciences (BMS) School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS). He was promoted Assoc Professor in BMS in Nov 2008.

He has taught Biochemistry, Clinical Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Aspects of Nutrition and supervised several undergraduate and postgraduate research projects in universities in Africa, Europe and the South Pacific. He is an expert in the didactic and problem based learning curricula. He is expert in the use of laboratory analytical techniques, such as PCR, HPLC, EIA, AAS, ICP-MS, etc. He has successfully completed several high quality research funded projects in Micronutrients, Endocrinology, Drug Discovery and Toxicology. His extensive administrative experience in the University system put him in positions of responsibility in all the universities he has served; see details in CV, Resume and Academic Portfolio in his personal web site: www.victorjtemple.com.

His research focused on experimental documentation of the extent and impact of micronutrient deficiencies on maternal and child health in resource limited countries. He has done a lot of work in applied nutritional studies aimed at improving maternal and child health. He continues to do extensive research on maternal and child malnutrition with emphasis on micronutrient deficiencies (Iodine, Iron, Copper, Zinc, Vitamin A and Vitamin B1) in infants and mothers, and in people living with HIV/AIDS. His additional research focus in the new decade is on food security, with particular interest on issues related to the accessibility, availability, affordability and stability of adequate supply of micronutrients and macronutrients to infants and mothers, and also to people living with HIV/AIDS in resource limited countries (in particular, he is interested in the impact of adequate nutrition on adherence, and efficacy of the highly active anti-retroviral therapy, HAART).

During his tenure in the UniJos, he set up and coordinated the Health and Nutrition Resource Group (HNRG) in the Dietetics and Rehabilitation Unit (DRU) in Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), Plateau State, Nigeria (1990 to 1996). He developed and nutritionally evaluated a number of complementary foods for infants, made from locally available foodstuffs. The success of his projects, production of the “Kwashpap” and other multi-mixes, was acknowledged by the DRU in JUTH. UNICEF sponsored the implementation of his projects (under the names of “Community Initiative on Complementary Feeding” and “Hospital Initiative on Complementary Feeding”) in some community-based and teaching hospitals in Nigeria. He conducted a mini-survey of Vitamin A status of pre-school age children in the Plateau State, Nigeria; the survey findings prompted the UNICEF Vitamin A intervention in Plateau State in 1992 – 1993. He set up and coordinated the Herbal Medicine Research Group (HMRG) in UniJos (1992 to 1996). Main focus of HMRG was to analyse the therapeutic efficacy of commonly used herbs, such as the leaves of African Mistletoe (Loranthus begwensis) in Plateau State.

Prof. V. J. Temple is currently the chairman of BMS and Head of the discipline of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in SMHS, UPNG. He also coordinates the Micronutrient Research Group (MRG) and the Micronutrient Research Laboratory (MRL), which collaborates with the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Atlanta Georgia, USA, and the Institute of Chemical Pathology and Medical Research (ICPMR), Westmead Hospital, Sydney, Australia. The MRL is registered with the International Resource Laboratories for Iodine Network (IRLI), the International Council for the Control of Iodine Deficiency Disorders (ICCIDD) and the International Vitamin A Consultative Group (IVACG); it regularly participates in the Ensuring the Quality of Urinary Iodine Procedures (EQUIP) in the CDC. In 2004, he was appointed the National Scientific Coordinator to work with the external coordinators from the CDC USA, Mahedol University, Bangkok, Thailand, and UNICEF during the PNG National Nutrition Survey (NNS) in 2005. He is a member of several PNG Government committees: He is an external evaluator for Drug Registration in the National Department of Health (NDOH); Member of the National Technical Working Group (NTWG) on the National Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis; Member of PNG Food Fortification Inspection and Monitoring Committee; Co-ordinator of laboratory issues involving Diethylcarbamazine (DEC) Fortified Salt as a Strategy for the Control and Elimination of Lymphatic Filariasis (LF) in PNG (WHO funded project); Chairman of PNG Food Fortification Technical Committee: A sub-committee of the PNG Food Sanitation Council, NDOH; Member of the Task Force for Training in Human Nutrition and Dietetics: National Health Service Standard Division; Co-ordinator of research projects on disease trends in PNG, with emphasis on retrospective assessment of laboratory data on various metabolic disorders, obtained in the Clinical Biochemistry unit in PMGH; Co-ordinator of research groups on: Food Insecurity and its implications for maternal and child health and also for people living with HIV/AIDS in PNG; Projects involve data collection and advocacy.

He is a reviewer for the journal “Thyroid”, “West African Journal of Biological Sciences”, “PNG J. of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries”, “Biomedical Science Letters”, “Pacific J of Medical Sciences”, “African J of Food Agriculture Nutrition and Development” (AJFAND) and “Medical Sciences Bulletin”. He has published four books and many scientific papers in a wide range of peer reviewed journals.

Prof. Victor J. Temple,
School of Medicine and Health Sciences,
University of Papua New Guinea,
P.O.B. 5623, Boroko, NCD, Papua New Guinea
Email: templevictor@gmail.com

Professor Victor Temple is a dedicated reviewer for AJFAND; his support is highly appreciated. Ed. AJFAND.


 

Dr. Michael Lokuruka

Dr. Michael LokurukaDr. Michael N.I. Lokuruka, a Senior Lecturer in Food Science and Food Industry Management at Egerton University, Kenya, has over 8 years experience in the Food Industry in food quality assurance, processing and general management, with particular expertise in Fisheries Cooperatives in Kenya and the Meat Industry in Canada. He obtained a B.Sc. in Food Science and Technology (University of Nairobi, Kenya), postgraduate diplomas in Fishing and Fish Processing Technology (NTH, University of Trondheim, Norway) and Food Technology (Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel), a M.Sc. in Food Science (University of Reading, UK) and a Ph.D. in Food Science from Cornell University in the US. He was a Sea Grant Scholar and Fellow at Cornell University for 3 years and a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Muscle Foods Laboratory at Cornell for a year. He has taught many courses in Food Science and Technology over the last 22 years mainly at Egerton University and is currently an external examiner at the Department of Food Science and Technology of the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in Kenya. He has authored 25 peer-reviewed articles, 6 refereed conference papers and written a book titled, “Quality and Food Safety Assurance in the Fish Industry” published in Kenya and currently in its second edition. His second book titled: “The Food Law and Standardization System of Kenya” was published in January 2011 by Lap-Lambert Publishing Co. of Saarbrucken, Germany. He has won a number of research grants from both the Kenya National Council for Science and Technology and the competitive Internal Grants (Egerton University) competitions, which he has used to develop grading schemes for seafood, for use by the Fisheries Industry in Kenya. He has supervised a number of postgraduate students, and regularly reviews for the Science Research and Essays Journal, the African Journal of Food Science, the International Journal of Aquatic Food Product Technology, the East African Agricultural and Forestry Journal and the Egerton Journal. He is a Technical Reviewer for the African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development (AJFAND) and the Egerton Journal (Science and Technology Series). He is a Consultant to the Food Industry in Kenya in Fisheries Projects Implementation, Fish and Meats Processing and Food Quality and Safety Assurance Systems.

He can be reached at mlokuruka@gmail.com.  

This is an updated profile of Dr Michael Lokuruka, who has been reviewing for AJFAND since inception. We highly value his contribution and wish him much deserved recognition in 2011.
He is also a prolific writer. Ed. AJFAND

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