Tell us about yourself

My name is Gladys Zugwai Ibrahim. I am from Kaduna State, Nigeria. I hold a medical degree from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. I am the founder of the Consortium of Genomics Students and Young Researchers in Nigeria.

What sparked your interest in genomics during and how did it evolve into a passion?

I like to say that genomics found me. I knew from early on in medical school that I did not want to practice clinical medicine simply because I do not enjoy it. If I’m being honest, I find it monotonous or maybe it is simply not for me. I needed to find alternative paths and so I started to explore my options. I dabbled a little into Data Science during the COVID-19 pandemic when I was away from school for about a year. I did some research on ways in which Data Science could be applied in medicine and then came across bioinformatics and genomics. I’ve always known about genes from biology classes to medical school, but I was now discovering interesting ways in which the study of these genes significantly impact the practice of medicine. I learnt about how genomic sequencing data was used to trace and control the spread of the pandemic, in the speedy development of vaccines, and other interesting applications of genomics. I fell in love and immediately knew that it was something I needed to further pursue.

What motivates you to take on leadership roles, such as founding this consortium?

I consider myself a builder; a firm believer in not waiting for people to do things for you when you can do it yourself. It is not as easy as it is said, though. As much as I had fallen in love with genomics, I still had the demands of medical school to deal with. I took a few online courses and I joined as many webinars and other online conversations centered around genomics. I, however, felt that I needed the push from others who share the same interest as I do, to do more impactful work. I looked for interest groups I could join but did not find any. So, I nursed the idea of starting a group like this after medical school if I didn’t find any on graduating. The goal was simple: connect young genomics enthusiasts across the continent to come together to build capacity and potentially solve the problems that we share regarding underrepresentation in genomic data and research in general.

What inspired you to create a consortium for genomics enthusiasts in Africa?

It is common knowledge that we seem to share the same problems across the continent, from governance to health issues and other areas. Africans, despite being the most genetically diverse, were said to represent about 3% of genomic data worldwide in 2019, with a drastic reduction to 1.1% in 2021. It made perfect sense to not think local, but to bring people from different African countries to come together to solve one of these many problems that we share.

What are the consortium’s main goals at this early stage, and how are you working to achieve them?

For me, the first goal was to create a community for genomics enthusiasts across the continent by first identifying, and then, connecting them to one another. The second goal was to create opportunities for these young people, irrespective of whatever level of experience they have, to grow in capacity and knowledge about genomics. We aim to achieve this by setting up structures through which all members get to collaborate on projects with fellow members of their Genomics Interest Groups. We tried to keep the membership capacity small to enable us focus on the few people we have. These members are placed in small groups based on interest (Infectious Disease, Cancer, Neurogenomics, Epigenomics and Global Health), where they are able to work together on small projects. We are also working on and looking forward to partnering with bigger and more established genomics-based institutes, to create opportunities for our members to engage in real-time research projects.

What challenges have you faced in getting like-minded individuals to join and collaborate?

The major challenge, which isn’t something I didn’t anticipate, is communicating the vision clearly in ways that people I work with understand. It is important to me that everyone I work with sees it as their project as much as I see it as mine. There are also more personal issues like the fact that I am currently in my Housemanship (medical internship) year which takes a lot of my time. I like to believe that I am a good multitasker, but combining this with running an organization has proven to be one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. I am undeterred, though, and I know that with teamwork and clearly laid down structures, the organization will be able to run.

What kinds of opportunities do you hope to create for consortium members in the near future?

CoGSAYR is simply a nexus, linking newbies and early career researchers to collaborate and gain knowledge. I am hopeful that genomics-based institutes who are looking to invest in the future of genomics, will open their doors up to our members, as we work towards achieving shared goals of building a sustainable genomics workforce. I am also certain that mere association with CoGSAYR will open up doors of small and large scale opportunities for our members in the near future