KU Lecturer Receives an Honorary Professorship in the UK
An honorary professorship has been awarded to a Kenyan university professor in the United Kingdom.
On Friday, Prof. George Njoroge was appointed honorary professor of Medical Education at the prestigious University of Manchester in the United Kingdom.
Njoroge reported that his accomplishments stemmed from the discovery of new medicines for treating diseases like Hepatitis C and Progeria.
He mentioned that he had become the first African to receive more than 100 issued patents from the US patent agency. He conveyed this information during a phone interview with the Star on Friday.
The enthusiastic scholar also mentioned that his work had been widely published. He stated that he was presently contributing to his country by establishing a Life Science Institution in Naivasha, Nakuru County.
He added that this institution would play a significant role in the discovery of medicines for life-threatening diseases.
Njoroge’s appointment letter dated August 25, 2023, signed by Emma Beard, University of Manchester Employment Officer, stated that his contract had been retroactively extended to March 19, 2022, and will expire on March 17, 2025.
The announcement stated that the appointment, recognizing the recipient’s contributions to the academic work of the Faculty of Biology, Medicine, and Health, is confirmed as an Honorary Professor in Medical Education within the School of Medical Sciences.
According to the appointment letter, this designation is effective from March 19, 2022, through March 17, 2025.
The letter further explained that the initial appointment will be in effect until March 17, 2025, with a provision for review before the end of this period.
The Head of School/Institute will oversee this review process and decide whether to extend the appointment for additional periods, contingent upon the recipient’s ongoing contributions to the University.
Prof. Njoroge is the Chief Scientific Officer at Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral, and Research Hospital (KUTRRH) and a former member of the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) Board of Directors who chaired the Research and Innovation committee.
He is currently the Chairman of Council at Daystar University and was previously a member of the board at KCA University (KCA).
Formerly, he was a Senior Research Fellow at Eli Lilly and Company and a Director in the Department of Medicinal Chemistry at Merck Research Laboratories, where he supervised the infectious diseases platform chemistry program.
Through his research leadership at Merck, Victrelis, an anti-HCV drug, was discovered.
The FDA approved the drug on May 13, 2011, as the first treatment of its kind for Hepatitis C.
Prof. Njoroge led his chemistry team in the discovery of the HCV protease inhibitor Narlaprevir, which is sold in Russia under the brand name Arlansa.
In the field of oncology, he has participated in the discovery of therapeutic agents aimed at interfering with the signal transduction process in proliferating cells, work that led to the discovery of Sarasar, a repurposed and approved treatment for Progeria.
A graduate with honors from the University of Nairobi, he possesses a doctorate in organic chemistry from Case Western Reserve University in the United States.
Prof. Njoroge is the author of 134 scientific articles and 104 patents granted by the United States.
The American Chemical Society inducted him into the “Hall of Fame” as a Hero of Chemistry on August 19, 2012.
Among others, he is the recipient of the Emerald Award for Professional Achievement in Industry, the Thomas Alva Edison Patent Award for Emerging Therapies, and the Distinguished Alumni Award from Case Western Reserve University.
Mount Kenya University awarded Professor Njoroge an Honorary Degree in Pharmaceutical Science in 2014, and KCA University awarded him a Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) in 2021.
He was the founder of the Center of Africa’s Life Sciences (C.O.A.L.S. ), a prestigious institution being established in Naivasha with the primary objective of seeking out and developing novel medicines on the African continent.
KU Lecturer Receives Honorary Professorship in the UK
