As Chief Biomedical Scientist, who is a Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) registered Chartered Scientist (CSci), with an IBMS Virology Higher Specialist diploma, Bamidele Farinre isn't just a woman in STEM; she's a female leader in STEM. Not only have her skills as a scientist been highlighted time and time again, but her abilities as a leader are what make her stand out from her peers. Cultivating environments of continuous improvement and high-quality services is a difficult challenge, but Bamidele rises to the occasion every time. Even in the chaos of rolling out rapid testing for a global pandemic, Bamidele's large team learned how to troubleshoot new problems, conduct audits, and develop effective ways of operating.
After graduating with a degree in biomedical science from the University of Brighton, Bamidele pursued a master's degree in clinical microbiology a number of years later. Her early career was spent as a biomedical scientist in virology and microbiology at a hospital in the U.K. There, she investigated a variety of pathology samples, maintaining the quality and accuracy necessary to garner insightful results. It was in this role that she got exposure to training medical laboratory assistants, biomedical scientists, and other staff. This was an integral launch point in her career as the experience equipped her with many skills that she still uses today.
When she had worked in the field for a number of years, Bamidele became a senior executive officer at Public Health England, now known as UKHSA. While leading by her example, Bamidele helped advance innovations that made her department more effective than ever before. Taking charge of some policy initiatives, Bamidele was responsible for strategic proposals and plans. She implemented data protection practices and ensured that standard operating procedures were developed and updated for every necessary process.
With her expertise in the detailed science behind virology, paired with her leadership and skilled process implementation approach, Bamidele played a major role in rolling out the standards of the National Testing Program at local Covid-19 laboratories. Her focus was the June Almeida Lab in Waterloo, London. After outfitting and equipping free-standing labs, she was tapped as the ideal candidate to come and lead the mobile testing unit project.
As deaths due to Covid kept increasing and testing was urgently needed, Bamidele was asked by the U.K. government to implement rapid response mobile processing units with the Department of Health and Social Care (UKHSA) in London. Bamidele recruited, trained, and led a team of 130 people, including around 30 Biomedical Scientists, for this nationally urgent project. Bamidele played an integral role in combatting the pandemic; in the span of just 7 months, 14 mobile vans were deployed for rapid Covid response, which significantly increased the testing capacity for symptomatic patients, as well as allowed testing in remote areas when outbreaks happened.
Throughout her seasoned career, Bamidele has been recognized many times for her exquisite work in the field. During the Covid-19 crisis, she was nominated for 2 different categories of the Covid-19 Unsung Heroes Award. Then, in early 2022, Bamidele had the honor of winning the Biomedical Scientist of the Year Award, which is a national award that was sponsored by the Institute of Biomedical Science in the U.K. Advancing Healthcare Awards.
Women in STEM make great contributions to people all over the world, and Bamidele is proof of that. She has committed her life to helping people with her specialized skill set and now, as a leader in her field, she hopes to inspire more young girls and females to enter the field, especially for future female scientists from African and Caribbean backgrounds who rarely see themselves represented in STEM. Bamidele will continue to give back to the communities she cares for, make strides in the face of challenges, and advance the progress of the global science community.
