Elizabeth Wangari Itotia (born c. 1992), is a nuclear pharmacist from Kenya. She is the first Kenyan woman to qualify as a nuclear pharmacist (also referred to as a radiopharmacist). As of July 2021, she is one of only three similarly qualified people in that country, the others being male. She is currently employed as a member of the nuclear pharmacy team at Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital (KUTRRH).[1]
Elizabeth Itotia | |
|---|---|
 Itoita in 2017 | |
| Born | c. 1992 (age 31–32) Kenya |
| Education | University of Nairobi (Bachelor of Pharmacy) Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (Master of Pharmacy in Nuclear Pharmacy |
| Occupation | Radiopharmacist |
| Years active | 2020 - present |
| Title | Radiopharmacist at Kenyatta University Hospital |
Early life and education
editItotia was born in 1992, in Limuru, in present-day Kiambu County to a farming family. Itotia joined Loreto Kiambu Girls' High School, where she scored a straight A in KCSE and was admitted to the University of Nairobi to study pharmacy. She graduated at the top of her class in 2017 (58th graduation valedictorian), with a Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm) degree.[2]
She was awarded a scholarship by the International Atomic Energy Agency to pursue a master's degree. She was admitted to Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University in Pretoria, South Africa, where she graduated in 2021 with a Master of Pharmacy (MPharm) degree, specializing in Nuclear Pharmacy.[2]
Career
editAfter her first degree, Itotia joined Kenyatta University Hospital for the mandatory one-year supervised work period. While there, an opportunity arose for her to pursue higher studies on scholarship. She chose nuclear pharmacy because KUTRRH is increasingly attending to large numbers of cancer patients, who require sophisticated diagnostic and treatment modalities in the nuclear medicine and nuclear radiology arenas. After completing her master's degree, she returned to Kenyatta University Hospital, to practice what she had been taught.[1][2][3]
Itotia is a member of the Pharmaceutical Society of Kenya.[1]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c Magdalene Wanja (25 July 2021). "Kenya's First Female Radiopharmaceutical Scientist" (via AllAfrica.com). Daily Nation. Nairobi, Kenya. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
- ^ a b c Linda Shiundu (14 July 2021). "Elizabeth Itotia: Meet Kenya's First Female Radiopharmacist Playing Key Role in Fight against Cancer". Tuko.co.ke. Nairobi, Kenya. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
- ^ Kenyatta University Hospital (21 June 2021). "Meet The First Female Radiopharmaceutical Scientist in Kenya". Kenyatta University Hospital. Nairobi, Kenya. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
External links
edit
- Kenya's first female radiopharmaceutical scientist Archived 26 July 2021 at the Wayback Machine As of 25 July 2021.
- Meet The First Female Radiopharmaceutical Scientist in Kenya As of 2 June 2021.