Dr Valerie Makoge is a Senior Research Officer (Maître de Recherche) at the Institute of Medical Research and Medicinal Plant Studies (IMPM) in Cameroon. She is currently the head of the Laboratory of Parasitology in the Medical Research Centre of Institute of Medical Research and Medicinal Plant Studies (IMPM). Her research is uniquely a blend of hard and soft sciences. In addition to her Bachelors (hons) degree in Biochemistry and Master’s degree in Parasitology from the University of Buea, Valerie also has a management degree (cum laude) with emphasis on health (HIV) communication from Wageningen University and Research in the Netherlands and a PhD on Salutogenesis and Health promotion also from Wageningen University. She comfortably carries out research in both the biological and social sciences and has presented and published her research internationally.
By being trained in both hard and soft sciences, Dr Makoge brings an invaluable contribution as a salutogenic parasitologist to the Medical Research Centre as she emphasises the need to include and highlight a social connotation to research on parasites. Her interests lie in disease (especially malaria) and coping trends in poor and vulnerable communities. In other activities, she has been a member of the Western Australian School System (WASS) Educational Board and Western Australian School System (WASS) PhD council of Wageningen University and Research, NL.
Dr Makoge is currently an active member of the Cameroon Academy of Young Scientists (CAYS), the International Union for Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE), The Society for Theory and Research on Salutogenesis (STARS), Cameroon Professional Research Oriented Women Network (CAPROWN), HIGHER women, Organization for Women for Science for Developing World (OWSD) etc. She supervises and has supervised several aspiring medical doctors, contributes to book chapters, and serves as a reviewer for several international journals. She is also a mentor in the African Academy of Sciences Mentorship Scheme.