Céline Tendobi (born c. 1974) is a Congolese doctor of

obstetrics Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a su ...

and

gynecology Gynaecology or gynecology (see American and British English spelling differences) is the area of medicine concerned with conditions affecting the Female reproductive system, female reproductive system. It is often paired with the field of obste ...

with a specialty in

gynaecology Gynaecology or gynecology (see American and British English spelling differences) is the area of medicine concerned with conditions affecting the female reproductive system. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, which focuses on pre ...

and

ultrasound Ultrasound is sound with frequency, frequencies greater than 20 Hertz, kilohertz. This frequency is the approximate upper audible hearing range, limit of human hearing in healthy young adults. The physical principles of acoustic waves apply ...

. She is known for her work on the

human papilloma virus Human papillomavirus infection (HPV infection) is caused by a DNA virus from the ''Papillomaviridae'' family. Many HPV infections cause no symptoms and 90% resolve spontaneously within two years. In some cases, an HPV infection persists and r ...

(HPV) and has written extensively on the connection between HPV and

cervical cancer Cervical cancer is a cancer arising from the cervix or in any layer of the wall of the cervix. It is due to the abnormal growth of cells that can invade or spread to other parts of the body. Early on, typically no symptoms are seen. Later sympt ...

in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Early life and education

Celine Tendobi was born in 1974 in

Kinshasa Kinshasa (; ; ), formerly named Léopoldville from 1881–1966 (), is the Capital city, capital and Cities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kinshasa is one of the world's fastest-grow ...

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

. She attended the

University of Kinshasa The University of Kinshasa (), colloquially known by its acronym UNIKIN, is a public university located in Kinshasa's Lemba, Kinshasa, Lemba commune within the western region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is the country's premier un ...

. In 2004, she went to Spain to train as an ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the

University of Navarra The University of Navarra is a private Catholic research university located on the southeast border of Pamplona, Navarre, Spain. It was founded in 1952 by Saint Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer, the founder of '' Opus Dei'', as a corporat ...

Clinic in

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

Career

Tendobi works with the Monkole Hospital in Kinshasa as the head of the Gynecology Service. She additionally works for the department of gynecology at the University of Kinshasha Hospital. In 2017, Tendobi helped enact the ELIKIA Project at Monkole Hospital, which offered low-cost cervical cancer screenings for patients. The project, a partnership between Monkole, the University of Navarra and a consortium of international partners, has helped reduce the progression of HPV to cervical cancer in the Monkole patient population. During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

and the shortage of medical staff in Spain, she volunteered to work for University of Navarra Clinic. She returned to Monkole Hospital where she worked at the Congo's COVID Center during the lockdown. Tendobi has remained in the Congo to combat the brain drain of professionals in the country, despite the opportunity to earn more in the west. In 2021, Dr. Celine Tendobi was awarded a Guadalupe Scholarship Project for her work to detect

in women before it evolves into cancer.

Awards and honors

* Harambee Prize 2014 * Guadalupe Scholarship * Harambee Spain Prize (2013) for the Promotion and Equality of African Women

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tendobi, Celine 1974 births Date of birth missing (living people) 21st-century Democratic Republic of the Congo people 21st-century women physicians Democratic Republic of the Congo gynaecologists 21st-century Democratic Republic of the Congo women Living people Obstetricians People from Kinshasa University of Navarra alumni Women gynaecologists Women obstetricians