By Ishola Balogun
Prof. Stella I. Smith is not just a name in Nigeria’s scientific community, she is a symbol of resilience, brilliance, and national pride. Her journey from a young girl who once dreamed of becoming a medical doctor to becoming the Director of Research at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) is a story of determination that should inspire every aspiring scientist and dreamer across Africa.
Turning obstacles into breakthroughs
Denied the chance to study medicine, she embraced microbiology, and in that choice, destiny found her. Where others saw impossibility, she saw opportunity. Where others gave up, she pressed forward. Today, her name is etched into the annals of science as the woman who turned pain into hope for millions, achieving what many thought was impossible. With unshakable focus, she pursued research into infectious diseases, culturing Helicobacter pylori in Nigeria, the bacterium that lives in the digestive tract and responsible for ulcers. This breakthrough was not just a scientific feat—it was a lifeline for millions suffering from ulcer-related illnesses across Africa.
“As a growing up child, I wanted to be a medical doctor. Somehow, I did not get the cut-off point and I did not know how to lobby to read medicine, so I ended up reading microbiology. I discovered that the more I read microbiology the more I was interested in doing research because I wanted to know what were the causes of some particular diseases and how you could diagnose and treat them and that was how I found myself into research and I got hooked in research and not in the university teaching.”
Her work transformed ulcer treatment, proving that African laboratories could lead global discoveries. She turned Nigeria’s Molecular Biology Division into a hub of biomedical innovation, and her research continues to shape diagnostics, treatment, and public health strategies.
According to her, “the first time we were able to actually culture the germ in the lab. That excited me because the organism is very difficult to grow, and to sustain it. Most laboratories do not do actual culture of Helicobacter pylori. So, for me to be able to get the actual culture was one of the most exciting moments I had and then to see it grow.
“Another thing was, when I was doing a PhD, I also worked on Campylobacter. Campylobacter is also of the same family with Helicobacter. The one I worked with is the germ that causes diarrhoea in children as well as in adults. That was how I started enjoying research, getting to see these things grow, do a culture, do what we call the resistance check. When I went ahead to do the DNA analysis, I could see some of the reasons why the germ was resistant to a particular antibiotic. Those were my high moments in my research,” Prof smith said.
A scientist who chose Nigeria
Prof. Smith had every opportunity to remain abroad after prestigious fellowships in Germany, France, and the UK. But she chose to return home. She chose to build capacity, mentor young scientists, and strengthen Nigeria’s health research system. That decision was not just patriotic—it was visionary. She understood that true greatness lies not in personal gain but in lifting others and building a nation’s future.
Celebrated excellence
Her brilliance has earned her global recognition as she is today named among Nigeria’s most influential women in science. She is also honored with The Sun Public Service Award (2025) for her transformative contributions. Notably, she is the convener of Nigeria’s first-ever Alexander von Humboldt Kolleg conference, bringing world-class scientific dialogue to African soil.
These accolades are not mere honors—they are proof of a life lived with purpose and impact.
How she established AHMSG in Africa
Telling her story, Prof Stella Smith said:
“My dream to establish the African Helicobacter and Microbiota Study Group (AHMSG) got a boost when I was looking for another German collaborator to continue the H. pylori study with the DFG grant. Dr. Christian Schulz whom I approached to collaborate with me on Helicobacter pylori research using possible funding from DFG agreed to collaborate with me and I asked that we include Prof. Roland Ndip, whom I had known for a while and then Prof. Mashiko who I was privileged to assess her proposal for funding a year earlier (I just instinctively jotted her email contact, with the hope that at the right time, she would be brought in for the AHMSG). We applied for the DFG funding, out of which I informed the Group of my interest in starting an African Helicobacter and Microbiota Study Group.
“We were however, not successful with our application, but I still continued my collaboration with Dr. Schulz and reminded him again of my dream of forming the AHMSG. It was then he reached out to Prof. Peter Malfertheiner, one of the founding fathers of the European Helicobacter and Microbiota Study Group to discuss my dream to him and Prof. Malfertheiner asked him to inform me that I should go ahead and form my Group. This was January 2021. I now reached out to Prof. Reid Ally from South Africa (whom I had worked with on the DFG project second phase) and Prof. Setshedi also from South Africa, whom I got her link from the proposal I was asked to review. Prof. Roland Ndip from Cameroon, I already knew. I met Prof. Revathi Gunturu from Kenya during one of my previous DFG funding in Hamburg in 2018 (I still have the Group picture we took on the wall in my office).
“I also met Dr. Yakhya in 2019 when I went on an Institutional tour to Institut Pasteur, Dakar, where he works and following our discussion on Hp, he mentioned his interest too in working with me on Hp and I also shared my dream of establishing AHMSG. I collected his contact and then for Tanzania and Egypt, I got the contact of Dr. Hyasinta Jaka and Dr. Mohamed Alboraie from the internet by looking for people working on H. pylori in those countries. Prof. Malfertheiner reached out to me to bring in Prof. Naima Armani from Morocco, who was the then head, of World Gastroenterology Organisation (WGO). While all my colleagues from Nigeria (Profs. Arigbabu, Onyekwere, Otegbayo, Ndububa and Ugiagbe), I had known them from my years of collaboration on Hp research.
“Of course, my postdoctoral, Drs. Tolulope Jolaiya and Abraham Ajayi. AHMSG started with 16 board members from 8 African countries, but we have 15 board members from 10 African countries. Prof. R. Ally (South Africa) and Dr. M. Alboraie (Egypt) stepped down their memberships, while we lost Prof. A. Arigbabu. Our new board members are Prof. Violet Kayamba (Zambia) our current Secretary General, Dr. Evariste Tsibangu-Kabamba (DRC) and Dr. Abdul’Rashid Nashidiengo (Namibia).
“AHMSG was officially launched in 2022, in Lagos, Nigeria, with Richen Medical Sciences, Hong Kong being our major sponsors. The President of AHMSG changes every two years and I handed over to Prof. Mashiko Setshedi (current President) in Cape Town, South Africa in August 2024. The rest is history. To the glory of God, AHMSG is widely known now and we are moving higher.
Since 1999, my publications on pylori alone is 54, with five PhD students that worked on Helicobacter pylori.
Advice to young researchers
Prof. Smith’s advice to young researchers is as bold and profound as her achievements: “Be focused. Set goals. Remove distractions. Life is short, leave a legacy.”
“They should be focused on what they want to do and go right ahead to achieve it. When I came back from Manchester (I had a pre-doctoral fellowship in Manchester, EU-sponsored), against all odds, you know when people have the opportunity to travel out, they use that avenue to leave the country, but I decided to return to the country and impart the knowledge gained and build capacity. We were actually two that obtained the EU fellowship. The second person did not return to the country and today I can say that by the grace of God, I am what I am. So, I want to encourage future researchers to be focused, have a definite plan of what they want to do and achieve in their life and in the future. They should set targets and goals for themselves to achieve and make every effort to achieve them without being distracted.”
Her words are not theory; they are the principles that carried her through decades of groundbreaking research. They are a call to action for every young African scientist: dream audaciously, work relentlessly, and serve selflessly.
Truly a Nation’s Pride
Prof. Stella Smith is more than a scientist, she is a national treasure. Her work has saved lives, inspired generations, and proven that African researchers can lead global breakthroughs. She stands tall as a beacon of hope, reminding us that with courage, focus, and vision, Africa can and will shape the future of science.
Her story is not just about curing ulcers, it is about curing doubt, proving that nothing is beyond reach when passion meets perseverance.