Mamadou Jallow joined the MRC Unit The Gambia fresh from high school in 2011 as a Trainee Laboratory Technician in the Clinical Laboratories. A year later, he was promoted to the position of Laboratory Technician and awarded a scholarship to undertake the Foundation degree in Biomedical Science with St. George’s University in London by distance learning.Through hard work and support from the Clinical Laboratories team, he graduated with distinction in June 2015. Being one of the best graduating students for the year, he was sponsored for full-time BSc degree in Biomedical Science at Kingston University, London. Mamadou demonstrated that hard work pays off as he graduated with first class honours in June 2016. He has since resumed as a Trainee Scientific Officer in the Clinical Laboratories adding to the excellent pool of skilled personnel in Laboratory Services.

The knowledge acquired through his degree has been particularly helpful in strengthening the clinical microbiology platform, in the areas of bacteriology and parasitology.The knowledge acquired through his degree has been particularly helpful in strengthening the clinical microbiology platform, in the areas of bacteriology and parasitology.Mamadou’s training is an added boost to the clinical labs quality management system and will contribute to sustaining the ISO15189 accreditation status of the laboratory.

Mamadou’s career progression is another example of the success story of MRCG’s strategy of identifying, training and preparing indigenous talent for key roles that support our track record for excellent research. The transition from Laboratory Technician to Trainee Scientific Officer, with a first class honours degree in Biomedical Science, happened within a 5-year period of May 2011 to August 2016.

According to Mamadou “it is a lesson that it is possible to manage the lifelong process of learning, working and leisure”.