Boghuma Titanji is a Cameroonian born medical doctor who is currently an MPhil/PhD candidate at University College London ( UCL). Her present research focuses on the study of HIV drug resistant viruses, to better understand the mechanisms of drug resistance and identify new ways of targeting resistant viruses within the host. Having worked as a clinician with HIV patients in Cameroon, she hopes to apply her research training to conducting translational HIV research in a developing world setting.
Boghuma believes that a lot of countries in the developing world, especially Africa are promising yet litigious sites in the search for the cure for AIDS. The research ethics around many HIV clinical trials are not tailored to the communities under study . Often researchers seeking to answer important scientific questions do this at the disadvantage of the less fortunate citizens of developing countries. As a young African clinical researcher , with an understanding of the social, cultural and economic issues that surround research in this context , she hopes to promote ethically sensitive and less exploitative HIV research in Africa.
Boghuma’s 2012 TEDxGoodenoughCollege talk was chosen by TED editors to feature on the TED Talks home page. Congratulations Boghuma!