Winner. Scientist of the Year 2022

Florent Fouelifack Ymele

Academic title, degree: M.D.
Fields of science: Clinical Medicine, Public Health, Research Methodology
Research interest: Mother and Child Health, Obstetrical Emergencies, Reproductive Health, Community Health
Career Development: Senior
Institution: Higher Institute of Medical Technology
Position: Lecturer
City: Yaounde
Country: Cameroon

Dr. Florent Fouelifack Ymele is a Cameroonian medical doctor specializing in Obstetrics and Gynecology since 2006 and Public Health (Community Health Option) since 2018.

Immediately after obtaining a Baccalaureate Degree in 1989, he was admitted to the University Center for Health Sciences, currently called the Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (FMBS) of the University of Yaounde I in Cameroon. After obtaining the Doctorate in Medicine in 1997, he worked as a general practitioner at the Tchollire District Hospital in North Cameroon. He then passed the competitive entrance examination to the specialization cycle of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences of the University of Yaounde I.

Furthermore, he followed an advanced course at the University Teaching Hospital of Brugmann, Belgium (Free University of Brussels) under the supervision of Professor Marc L'Hermite and his collaborators. At the end of that training, he was awarded a Certificate of Partial Specialized Training in Gynecology and Obstetrics.

Since relocating to Cameroon, Dr. Fouelifack has been practicing at the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department of Yaounde Central Hospital. During his vocational training and career, he realized that clinical practice alone could not solve major health problems. He also came to the conclusion that in our settings, communities have an undeniable influence on the initiation, progress, and prognosis of the majority of diseases. To better understand the holistic approach to health problems, he earned a Master’s degree in Public Health at the School of Health Sciences of the Catholic University of Central Africa (ESS-UCAC) in Yaounde.

Currently, Dr. Florent Fouelifack Ymele is the Head of the Block B Unit of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department at Yaounde Central Hospital (Cameroon), where he has been working since 2006. In addition, he has been a lecturer at the Department of Surgery and Specialties of the Higher Institute of Medical Technology of Nkolondom, Yaounde, since 2010. In this capacity, Dr. Fouelifack Ymele is in charge of coordinating Maternal Health teachings at the Department of Surgery and Specialties. Also, he has been teaching at the Faculty of Health Sciences of the Protestant University of Central Africa, Yaounde, since 2015.

He has co-supervised 62 theses of medicines and 9 dissertations (midwife, BSc, masters). He frequently sits as a member of juries for theses’ (n=27) and dissertations’ defenses (n=19).

Dr. Florent Fouelifack Ymele is the winner of the World Championship - 2018 in Virology (Seroprevalence).

Dr. Florent Fouelifack Ymele has contributed to the publications of 111 scientific articles (12 of them in 2021) in 37 peer-reviewed national and international journals, 3 chapters in books, 35 published abstracts and 14 presentations at the scientific conferences. His publications belong to many domains of expertise, including clinical research, gynecologic and obstetrical emergencies, infectious diseases in pregnancy, gynecologic and breast cancers, and public health.

Dr. Fouelifack is a member of the editorial board or steering committee of several scientific journals. He is a consultant for the Ministry of Public Health of Cameroun, and also a member of several learned societies: National Council of Physicians of Cameroon; Executive Committee of Gynecology and Obstetrics Society of Cameroon, African Society of Gynecology and Obstetrics, International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO), African Society of Infectious Pathology, and Audit Committee of Maternal Mortality and Near Miss" of Yaounde Central hospital.

Dr. Florent Fouelifack Ymele is occasionally invited as a consultant or expert in some UNFPA projects. He is currently involved in many research projects, including the ACAC (Advocacy for Comprehension Abortion Care project in Cameroon), which is being financed by the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics; Detection and diagnosis of microcephaly related to ZIKA in sub-Saharan Africa, and Asia (coordinator of the current project at the Yaounde Central Hospital, Cameroon), funded by the Pastor Institute of Paris; Mentoring of MNIARH (Maternal, Newborn, Infant, and Adolescent Reproductive Health) providers in Cameroon, funded by UFNPA.