Lola Eniola-Adefeso facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lola Eniola-Adefeso
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Eniola-Adefeso in NIGMS Findings Magazine, 2009
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Maryland, USA
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| Alma mater | University of Maryland, Baltimore County University of Pennsylvania |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | University of Illinois Chicago Baylor College of Medicine |
Omolola (Lola) Eniola-Adefeso is an amazing Nigerian-American chemical engineer. She is about to become the Dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Chicago.
Currently, she is a special professor at the University of Michigan. She teaches chemical engineering, biomedical engineering, and macromolecular science. She also helps lead graduate and professional education there.
Lola Eniola-Adefeso is also a co-founder and chief scientist for a company called Asalyxa Bio. Her work focuses on creating tiny particles that can deliver medicine exactly where it's needed in the body.
Contents
Lola's Journey in Education
Lola Eniola-Adefeso moved to Maryland from Nigeria when she was 15 years old. She first thought about going to medical school. But then, she became very interested in chemical engineering.
She studied Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She finished her studies there in 1999. After that, she went to the University of Pennsylvania for her advanced degrees, graduating in 2004.
Her Exciting Career in Science
After finishing her studies, Dr. Eniola-Adefeso worked at the Baylor College of Medicine. She was a special researcher there. In 2006, she joined the University of Michigan.
In 2013, she became a Miller Faculty Scholar at the University of Michigan. She also helps lead graduate education for engineers. She studies how blood cells interact with the inside of blood vessels. This is important for understanding how our bodies react to inflammation. After her father passed away from heart disease, she started looking for new ways to treat it.
Designing Smart Drug Delivery Systems
Dr. Eniola-Adefeso's research focuses on using blood flow to design new ways to deliver medicine. She has made many important discoveries. Her lab was the first to show that the size, shape, and weight of tiny particles matter. These particles are like tiny delivery trucks for medicine. They need to be just right to reach and stick to the walls of blood vessels.
Her work has really changed how scientists think about treating diseases in blood vessels. Her lab also uses special models of human blood vessels and blood flow. This helped scientists understand that blood is like a special tissue. It has unique features in different animals.
Her team has also learned new things about white blood cells called neutrophils. They found that these cells quickly grab and "eat" particles within minutes. This discovery led her lab to study how particles can control neutrophils. This could help with both sudden and long-lasting swelling in the body.
From Lab to Life-Saving Medicine
Dr. Eniola-Adefeso always wants her science discoveries to help people. In 2020, her lab published a paper showing something amazing. Human neutrophils prefer to "eat" rod-shaped particles. This was different from what many scientists thought. Most studies before used mouse blood. This new finding offers a fresh way to target neutrophils in many diseases.
This important discovery, along with a new material, led to a new company. It's called Asalyxa Bio. Dr. Eniola-Adefeso is the chief scientist there. She has helped the company raise money for human trials. They want to use this technology to treat Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). This is a serious lung condition.
Dr. Eniola-Adefeso is a respected member of many science groups. She helps edit Science Advances magazine. She also serves on the boards of important engineering organizations.
Working for Fairness and Inclusion
Dr. Eniola-Adefeso is a strong supporter of women and minority students. She works hard to make sure everyone has a chance to succeed at the University of Michigan. She created a special program to help students find mentors. As a leader in her department, she helped bring in the most diverse group of students ever.
She also encouraged college students to create science experiments for younger kids. These experiments could be used by teachers in elementary and middle schools. Dr. Eniola-Adefeso has been part of the NextProf program. This program brings women and minority students to campus. It helps them see what it's like to be a professor.
In 2018, she and Professor Chinedum Okwudire started a new program. It's called NextProf Pathfinder Workshop. This program helps younger PhD students (first and second year) get ready for a career as a professor. It helps them build strong resumes early on. This program has now grown to include other universities.
In 2021, Dr. Eniola-Adefeso and other scientists spoke out about unfair funding. They showed that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) gave less money to Black scientists. This led to a big discussion. The director of the NIH even apologized for "structural racism" in their funding. He promised to make changes.
Awards and Special Recognitions
Dr. Eniola-Adefeso has received many awards for her amazing work:
- 2021 MLK Visiting Professorship, MIT
- 2020 Biomedical Engineering Society Fellow
- 2020 BMES Mid-Career Award
- 2020 Named in the Top 1000 Inspiring Black scientists in America by CellPress
- 2019 Martin Luther King Jr. Faculty Spirit Award
- 2019 University Diversity and Social Transformation Professor
- 2017 Senior Fellow, Michigan Society of Fellows
- 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Women’s Initiatives Committee’s Mentorship Excellence Award
- 2017 American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering Fellow
- 2017 MAC Grimes Excellence in Chemical Engineering Award, AIChE
- 2017 Raymond J. and Monica E. Schultz Outreach and Diversity Award
- 2016 Harold R. Johnson Diversity Service Award
- 2016 CEW Carol Hollenshead Award for Excellence in Promoting Equity and Social Change
- 2014 Faculty Fellow, University of Michigan College of Engineering
- 2013 Miller Faculty Scholar
- 2012 National Science Foundation Career
- 2012 Provost's Teaching Innovation Prize, University of Michigan
- 2011 National Science Foundation CAREER Award
- 2011 Lloyd N. Ferguson Young Scientist Award, NOBCChE
- 2010 American Heart Association Innovator Award
- 2004 Janice Lumpkin Awards For Excellence in Arts & Sciences
- 2003 NASA Graduate Research Fellowship
- 1999 University of Maryland, Baltimore County Meyerhoff Scholarship
- 1998 University of Maryland, Baltimore County MARC U* STAR Scholar
