Clement Adebamowo

Clement Adebamowo is a Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, where he serves as the Director of the Cancer Epidemiology Division. At the Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, he holds dual leadership roles as Associate Director of the Population Sciences Program and Associate Director for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility. Additionally, he serves as a Research Scientist at the Center for Bioethics and Research in Ibadan and the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria in Abuja.

Dr. Adebamowo earned his BM, ChB (Hons) from the University of Jos in Nigeria (1978-1984), completed postgraduate surgical training in Oncology at University College Hospital, Ibadan (1987-1993), and received his Sc.D. in Nutrition Epidemiology with a minor in Biostatistics from Harvard University (2000-2004).

His research spans multiple interconnected domains focused on improving health outcomes, particularly in African populations. Dr. Adebamowo leads the NIH-funded African Collaborative Center for Microbiome and Genomics Research (ACCME), part of the H3Africa initiative, conducting comprehensive studies on genomic and epidemiologic risk factors for cervical cancer, breast cancer, uterine fibroids, and viral infections. His work integrates host germline genomics, somatic genomics, viral genomics, epigenomics, microbiome, proteomics, and metabolomics data from a cohort of approximately 12,000 women followed every six months. He also directs the Baltimore Clinical Site of the NCI CASCADE Network, a global partnership optimizing cervical cancer screening and management for women living with HIV. Additionally, Dr. Adebamowo has developed innovative training programs in Research Ethics, Responsible Conduct of Research, and Research Methodology, creating short, medium, and long-duration graduate programs that have trained over 150,298 individuals.

Dr. Adebamowo's recent publications demonstrate a strong interdisciplinary approach spanning cancer epidemiology, genomics, nutrition, and research ethics. His work shows a consistent focus on African populations, with particular attention to HPV-related cancers, uterine fibroids, and the ethical implications of data science in health research. The integration of genomic, microbiome, and epidemiological data represents a cutting-edge approach to understanding disease mechanisms in understudied populations.

• 2022 Jeff Cohen Service Award from PRIM&R for pioneering work in research ethics in Nigeria and West Africa
• Mamadou Gueye Prize from the West African College of Surgeons
• Member of Keystone Symposia Scientific Advisory Board
• Member of the Fogarty International Center Advisory Board
• Member of the Independent Review Panel for Vivli and CSDR

As an educator, Dr. Adebamowo directs the graduate course in cancer epidemiology at the University of Maryland, which attracts students across the University System of Maryland and features lecturers from the National Cancer Institute and surrounding institutions. He has secured multiple NIH grants including the Scaling Up Research Ethics and Research Integrity (SURER) Project, Bridging Gaps in the ELSI of Data Science Health Research, and the Point of Care Diagnostic test for Molecular Subtyping of Breast Cancer study. He has also developed a Food Frequency Questionnaire and Food Composition Database for African foods, significantly enhancing nutritional research capacity in Africa.

Dr. Adebamowo directs the NIH Fogarty-funded West African Bioethics Training program and has been instrumental in establishing research ethics infrastructure in Nigeria, including serving as founding chair of the Nigerian National Health Research Ethics Committee for ten years. His work implementing the Nigerian National System of Cancer Registries has significantly improved cancer surveillance in the country.