Cameroon’s first female medical doctor, Professor  Gladys Ejomi Martin has died in a hospital in Douala, family sources have said.

The octogenarian journeyed to the world beyond on Friday, July 17 after a brief illness.

Her last public appearance was on March 5, 2020 in Yaoundé, during the Acafem conference where she received a prize of excellence, as the first female doctor in Cameroon from the Minister for the Minister of Women Empowerment and the Family, Professor Marie Thérèse Abéna Ondoua.

Her career which spanned over 58 years saw her receive several prizes notably the Public Health Prize at the University at the University College in Ibadan, Nigeria.

She has been a doctor for 58 years and obtained her M.B. and B.S. (London) in 1962, from University College and University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria. She obtained a Diploma in Child Health from the Conjoint Board of England and Wales in 1966, and her M.P.H. from the Harvard University, USA, in 1971. She completed trainings in Pathology and Rheumatology in the UK and in Pediatrics in the USA and Canada. Dr. Martin was certified as a pediatrician by the American Board of Pediatrics in 1972.

Her impressive career saw her serve as Pediatrician at the highest levels both at home and abroad. She has served as a Consultant Pediatrician at the New York Department of Health, also a Senior Lecturer as well as UNICEF Regional Adviser on Health and Nutrition for East and Southern Africa (1986-1993) and for West and Central Africa (1994-1995).

Back in Cameroon, she served as Senior Lecturer in Community Health and Pediatrics at the University Center for Health Sciences (Cuss), University of Yaoundé, Cameroon – Consultant pediatrician, CHU, Yaoundé; Head of the Center for Nutrition Research, Institute for Medical Research and Study of Medicinal Plants at the Ministry of Scientific and Technical Research.