A pharmacy professor from Ferris State University in Michigan has died in hospital after being seriously injured in a bus accident in her native country of Cameroon in December.
The university has released a press statement saying that they are ‘deeply saddened’ by the death of professor Lucy Ngoh, who was involved in a bus accident on December 30th while visiting family members in Cameroon.
The dean of the college of pharmacy at Ferris State, Stephen Durst, said that Ngoh was a uniquely insightful and intelligent woman who played a major in the department and the field of academic pharmacy as a whole. ‘Lucy’s influence in the college and academic pharmacy will never be replaced. This is a significant loss in our lives’, Durst said.
Ngoh had been working at Ferris State’s College of Pharmacy since 1992, with special interests in service learning, international health and health literacy. Prior to becoming an academic, Ngoh worked as a registered pharmacist and was also a specialist in health care education. She was a member of numerous professional and academic organizations and played an active role in the field of academic pharmacy and research.
Ngoh’s roles at the university included those of lecturer, mentor, researcher and a member of the Academic Senate. She also served on the board of the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning Advisory group and worked as a facilitator at the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia at the University. The Ferris State University flag was flown at half mast following Ngoh’s death.
The university described Ngoh as an individual who was active within both the university and the wider community as a whole, holding positions in a number of personal and professional organizations, such as the Big Rapids branch of the American Association of University Women. Ngoh was very active in the Ferris State University campus parish, as well as giving her time and skills to assist the Mecosta-Osceola chapter of the American Red Cross.
The details of the bus accident in which she was involved have not yet been released, however Cameroon authorities say that they are investigating the incident, which occurred on the 30th December. The West African country, like many other countries in the region, has notoriously bad roads and a high annual death rate from road traffic accidents. Bus accidents are particularly deadly, as buses are often overloaded and poorly maintained due to poorly enforced traffic regulations.