Dr Bernadine Idowu is a graduate of King’s College London (KCL) and obtained her PhD from the IRC Queen Mary University of London. She has published in peer reviewed journals, with her most notable publication in the Histopathology Journal, which won the Roger Cotton Prize of €10,000 for the best paper in the Journal that year, making her an award-winning scientist. She is a Visiting Lecturer on the Intercalated BSc Regenerative Medical Course at the Dental Institute, KCL, and was previously a Lecturer on the Biomedical Sciences degree at the University of East London.
As a STEMM ambassador Dr Idowu has been invited all over the UK to talk about diversity in science, most recently at York University and Westminster School. As a Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Champion, she is invited to sit on panels to talk about issues relating to D&I in academia, including at the House of Parliament and various Universities, such as Cardiff and Manchester, Salford.
Dr Idowu is the Deputy Chair of the Inclusion Matters Advisory Group at Durham University. She founded the charity Youth Against Crime not Crime Against You (YACnCAY), 2010. This is a preventative charity that organises university student mentoring for young people in underprivileged schools.
She freelances for the Guardian newspaper and is also the Founder and Chair of the Black Minority and Ethnic (BME) Early Career Researcher (ECR) – How to Stay in Academia conference, which commenced April 2017, and is now a yearly conference. The conference aims to empower BME-ECR to remain Positive, Practical and Pragmatic, when navigating the academic space. Tools and resources are supplied during the conference, as well as mingling with BME academics from various disciplines. Now in its 4th year, this is a testament to the success of the conference, and will be held virtually on Monday 4th September 2020 at Imperial College London, supported by the Wellcome Trust.
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Qualifications
BSc (Hons) Biochemistry (King's College London); PhD (Queen Mary University of London); PGCAPHE (King's College London).
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Memberships
Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
Teaching
I am an award-winning scientist and graduate of King's College London (KCL). I obtained my PhD from the IRC Queen Mary University of London. I have published in peer reviewed journals, my most notable publication is in the Histopathology Journal, which won the Roger Cotton Prize of €10,000 for the best paper in the Journal that year. I am a Visiting Lecturer on the Intercalated BSc Regenerative Medical Course at the Dental Institute, KCL, and a former Lecturer on the Biomedical Sciences degree at the University of East London.
Research
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Research and publications
Woodhead Publishing - Salih - Standardisation in cell and tissue engineering 2013
B. Idowu and L. Di Silvio, Chapter 7: Principles of good laboratory practice (GLP) for in vitro cell culture applications 127 King’s College London, Dental Institute, UK.
Shanghani-Kerai A., Coathup M., Samazideh S., Kalia P., Silvio LD, Idowu B., Blunn G. Osteoporosis and ageing effects the migration of stems cells and this is ameliorated by transfection with CXCR4. Bone Joint Research 2017 June 6:358-365.
Idowu B., Cama G., Deb S., Di Silvio L. In vitro osteoinductive potential of porous monetite for bone tissue engineering. J Tissue Eng. 2014 May 27;5:2041731414536572. doi: 10.1177/2041731414536572. eCollection 2014.
Moskovszky L., Idowu B. Taylor R., Mertens F., Athanasou N., Flanagan A. Analysis of giant cell tumour of bone cells for Noonan syndrome/cherubism-related mutations. J Oral Pathol Med 2013 Jan 42(1) 95-8.
Duhamel LA., Ye H., Halai D., Idowu BD., Presneau N., Tirabisco R., Flanagan AM. Frequency of Mouse Double Minute 2 (MDM2) and Mouse Double Minute 4 (MDM4) amplification in parosteal and conventional osteosarcoma subtypes. Histopathology 2012, Jan;60(2):357-9.
Shalaby A, Presneau N, Ye H, Halai D, Berisha F, Idowu B, Leithner A, Liegl B, Briggs TR, Bacsi K, Kindblom LG, Athanasou N, Amary MF, Hogendoorn PC, Tirabosco R, Flanagan AM. The role of epidermal growth factor receptor in chordoma pathogenesis: a potential therapeutic target.
J Pathol. 2011 Feb;223(3):336-46 Presneau N, Shalaby A, Ye H, Pillay N, Halai D, Idowu B, Tirabosco R, Whitwell D, Jacques TS, Kindblom LG, Brüderlein S, Möller P, Leithner A, Liegl B, Amary FM, Athanasou NN, Hogendoorn PC, Mertens F, Szuhai K, Flanagan AM. Role of the transcription factor T (brachyury) in the pathogenesis of sporadic chordoma: a genetic and functional-based study. J Pathol. 2011 Feb;223(3):327-35.
Egbuniwe O., Idowu BD., Funes JM., Grant AD., Renton T., Di Silvio L. P16/p53 expression and telomerase activity in immortalized human dental pulp cells. Cell Cycle 2011 Nov 15;10(22):3912-9
Feber A, Wilson GA, Zhang L, Presneau N, Idowu B, Down TA, Rakyan VK, Noon LA, Lloyd AC, Stupka E, Schiza V, Teschendorff AE, Schroth GP, Flanagan A, Beck S. Comparative methylome analysis of benign and malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors. Genome Res. 2011 Apr;21(4):515-24.
Buranawat B., Palmer R., Deb S, Idowu B., Di Silvio L. Bioengineered vascularized bone graft. 24th European Conference on Biomaterials – Annual Conference of the European Society for Biomaterials 2011.
Joseph L., Hing SN., Presneau N., O'Donnell P., Diss T., Idowu BD., Joseph S., Flanagan AM., Delaney D. Familial tumoral calcinosis and hyperostosis-hyperphosphataemia syndrome are different manifestations of the same disease: novel missense mutations in GALNT3. Skeletal Radiol. 2010 39(1):63-8.
Presneau N., Shalaby A., Idowu B., Thomson L., Gikas P., Henderson S., Cannon SR., Briggs TRW., Gout I., Tirabosco R., Diss T., Gale R., Flanagan AM. Potential Therapeutic Targets for Chordoma: PIK3/AKT/mTor pathway for protein kinase C-Theta. British Journal of Cancer 2009 5:100 (9):1406-14
Delaney D., Diss T. C., Presneau N., Hing S, Berisha F., Idowu B. D., O'Donnell P., Skinner J. A., Tirabosco R., Flanagan A. M., GNAS1 mutations occur more commonly than previously thought in intramuscular myxoma.
Mod Pathol. 2009 May;22(5):718-24 Shalaby AA, Presneau N, Idowu BD, Thompson L, Briggs TR, Tirabosco R, Diss TC, Flanagan AM. Analysis of the fibroblastic growth factor receptor-RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK-ETS2/brachyury signalling pathway in chordomas. Mod Pathol. 2009 Aug;22(8):996-1005.
Idowu B. D., Mangion J., Diss T., Frow R., Edkins S., Barfoot R., Hogeman PHG., Tranebjaerg L., Aldridge M., Townend J., O’Donnell P., Stratton MR., Gale RE., Flanagan AM. SH3BP2, PTPN11 and NF1 germline mutations in a cohort of 48 families with a cherubism phenotype. Submitted to the Journal of Medical Genetics, May 2008.
Idowu BD., Thomas G., Yeoman C., Frow R., Flanagan AM. ‘Mutations in SH3BP2, the Cherubism gene were not detected in central or peripheral giant cell tumours of the jaw’ Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2008 46(3):229-30.
Idowu BD., Al-Adnani M., O’Donnell P., Yu L., Odell E., Diss T., Gale., Flanagan AM. ‘A sensitive mutation-specific screening technique for GNAS1 mutations in cases of fibrous dysplasia: the first report of a codon 227 mutation in bone’.
Histopathology. 2007 May;50(6):691-704. Winner of Roger Cotton Prize (10,000 euros) for the best diagnostic paper in Histopathology Journal 2007.
VanCapelle CI., Hogeman PHG., VanderSijs-Bos CJM., Heggelan BGF., Idowu B., Slootweg PJ., Wittkampf ARM., Flanagan AM. ‘Neurofibromatosis presenting with a cherubism phenotype’ Eur J Pediatr. 2007 Sep;166(9):905-9.
Amary MFC., Pawels P., Roemen GM., Meulenmans E., Islam L., Idowu B., Bousdras K., Diss TC., O’Donnell P., Flanagan AM. ‘Detection of beta-catenin mutations in paraffin-embedded sporadic desmoid-type fibromatosis by mutation-specific restriction enzyme digestion (MSRED): an ancillary diagnostic tool.’Am J Surg Pathol. 2007, 31(9):1299-309.
Birchall M., Idowu B, Murison P., Jones A, Burt R., Ayling R., Stokes C., Pope L., Terenghi G. ‘Laryngeal abductor muscle reinnervation in a pig model. Acta Otolaryngology 2004, 124(7)839-846
Millevoi S., Geraghty F., Idowu B., Tam JL., Antoniou M., Vagner S. ‘A novel function for the U2AF 65 splicing factor in promoting pre-RNA 3’ end processing’ EMBO Rep, 2002, 3:869-874.
Lee DA., Knight MM., Idowu BD., Bader DL. ’Mechanical compression influences cytoskeletal organisation within chondrocytes seeded in agarose constructs’ Transaction of Orthopaedic Research, 2001, 26:262.
Knight MM., Idowu BD., Lee DA., Bader DL. ‘Temporal changes in cytoskeletal organisation within isolated chondrocyte novel image analysis technique’ Medical Biology Engineering and Computing, 2001, 39:397-404.
Idowu BD., Knight MM, Bader DL., Lee DA. ‘Confocal analysis of cytoskeletal organisation within isolated chondrocytes cultured in agarose’ Histochemical Journal, 2000, 32:165-74 Section of my PhD research.
Lee DA., Knight MM., Bolton JF., Idowu BD., Kayser MV., Bader DL. ‘Chondrocyte deformation within compressed agarose constructs at the cellular levels’ Journal of Biomechanics, 2000, 33:81-95.
Idowu B.D., Knight M.M., Bader D.L., Lee D.A. ‘The organisation of cytoskeletal components in isolated chondrocytes seeded in agarose’. Transactions of Orthopaedic Research, 1999.
Ahmed Z., Idowu B.D., Brown R.A. 'Stabilisation of fibronectin mats with micromolar concentration of copper'. Biomaterials; 1998, 20:201-209.
Ahmed Z, Idowu B.D., Brown R.A. 'Stability and cell-substrate properties of fibronectin mats using copper ions'. Wound Repair and Regeneration 1997:5: A266.
Idowu B.D., Ejim O.S., Blunn G.W., Brown R.A.'In vivo assessment of orientated mats of fibrillar fibronectin in dermal wounds.' Wound Repair and Regeneration 1994:2, 214.
Whitworth I.H., Brown R.A., Idowu B.D., Green C.J., Terenghi G. 'The development of fibronectin mats for use as a graft material in nerve repair.' Wound Repair and Regeneration 1994:2, 230.
Whitworth I.H., Anand P., Brown R.A., Idowu B.D., Green C.J. 'A study of fibronectin as a delivery system for nerve growth factor in an in vitro model.' Wound Repair and Regeneration 1994:2, 206.
Brown R.A., Porter R.A., Idowu B.D., Ejim O.S., Blunn G.W. 'Orientated mats of fibronectin as templates for collagen alignment by human dermal fibroblasts' Wound Repair and Regeneration 1994:2, 206.
Whitworth I.H., Brown R., Idowu B., Green C., Terenghi G. ‘The use of orientated fibronectin mats in the repair of peripheral nerve gaps.' European Journal of Neuroscience supp 1994:7;47.
Wassif W. S., Sherwood R.A., Amir A., Idowu B., Summers B., Leigh N., Peters T.J. ' Serum carnosinase activities in central nervous system disorders' Clinical Chim Acta 1994:225:57.
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Conferences
14 September 2020; 4th BME Conference, held virtually.
29 October 2019; Belonging: At Salford – Launch Event – Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Symposium. Manchester Salford (Panel member)
23 October 2019; Viva Blackademia: Black and Brilliant, Cardiff University (Panel member)
26 April 2019: ‘3rd BME Early Career Researcher – How to stay in academia’ Great Hall, University of East London (Chair)
October 2018: Arena & Convention Centre Liverpool – The need for over-representation of BME academics (Oral presentation and Panellist) – Advanced HE – Higher Education Academy
September 2018: Sheffield Hallam University – Supporting Student Diversity- Where are we now? (Guest Speaker)
12 June 2018: Oxford’s Women in Material Science: Career Pathways for Women in Science at Institute of Physics (Oral presentation)
3 April 2018: 2nd BME Early Career Researcher – How to stay in academia’ Great Hall, King’s College London (Chair)
24 February 2018: 7th Annual Oxford Female Engineering Science and Technology (OxFEST) conference – Keynote speaker – ‘Where are all the role models to inspire diversity in STEM?’
19th April 2017: 1st BME Early Career Researcher – How to stay in academia’ Great Hall, King’s College London (Chair)
12-13 September 2016: Vitae Researcher conference, Manchester (Networking)
21-23 June 2016: Student & Education Directorate conference, King’s College London (Oral Presentation)
22 June 2015: 9th Excellence in Teaching conference, King’s College London (Networking)
10-13 November 2013: Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS) Atlanta, Georgia (Poster presentation)
3-4 September 2013: MEC annual networking meeting, Sunningdale Park, Ascot
12-14 Aug 2013 – ‘Life Beyond the PhD’ at Cumberland Lodge, Windsor (Oral presentation)
23-25 July 2013 – Tissue Cell and Engineering society, Cardiff (Oral Presentation)
24-25 June 2013 – UK Society for Biomaterials, Birmingham (Joint poster presentation)
17-19 June 2013 – TERMIS meeting Istanbul, Turkey (Networking)
