Ernestine Gwet Bell

Ernestine Gwet-Bell (born 1953) is a Cameroonian gynaecologist who supervised the first successful in vitro fertilisation treatment in her country.

Ernestine Gwet Bell
Born	1953 Sackbayémé, Cameroon
Citizenship	Cameroon
Education	University of Paris 5
Occupation	Gynaecologist
Notable work	Enabling birth of Cameroon's first IVF baby

Early life

Gwet-Bell was born in 1953 in Sackbayémé.^[1] Her father was initially a Catholic priest, but converted to become a Protestant pastor; her mother was a nurse and midwife.^[2] One of six brothers and sisters, she studied medicine at the University of Paris 5.^[1] Her first job was at the Council of Baptist and Evangelical Churches Hospital in Bonabéri, which was affiliated to the church she attended; she also worked at the Laquintinie Hospital.^[1]

Career

Gynaecology

In 1987, Gwet-Bell opened a private practice, the Odyssey Clinic, in Douala, which as of 2020 was one of Cameroon's most respected gynaecological medical facilities.^[1] Alongside five other colleagues she founded Cameroon's first assisted fertility centre: Centre des Techniques de Pointe en Gynécologie-Obstétrique; her co-founders are: Berthe Bollo, Guy Sandjon, Monique Onomo, Nicole Akoung and Christian Pamy.^[1] In 2016, the first public IVF centre opened in Yaounde.^[3] Gwet-Bell was its director in 2020.^[4] In

In 1998, Gwet-Bell supervised the birth of the first Cameroonian child born through in vitro fertilization.^[1][5] The baby was called Thommy.^[6] In 2004, her team were able to successfully practice Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI), an innovative technique designed in 1992 to fight against male sterility in the context of IVF.^[7][6] As of August 2007, she a'nd her team were responsible for the birth of 500 babies through in vitro fertilization.^[8] She is President of the Inter-African Fertility Study, Research and Application Group, as well as the union of private doctors in Cameroon.^[9][6]

In 2019 she chaired the organisational committee of a conference which brought together gynaecologists and neonatal specialist from across Cameroon together.^[10]

Autism

One of her nephews has autism and in 2005 she founded Orchidée Home, which is designed to support autistic children and their parents.^[1] Two years later, in 2007, she organized the first autism congress in Cameroon.^[1]

Selected publications

• Gwet-Bell, Ernestine; Gwet, Bea B.; Akoung, Nicole; Fiadjoe, Moïse K. (September 2018). "The 5 main challenges faced in infertility care in Cameroon". Global Reproductive Health. 3 (3): e16. doi:10.1097/GRH.0000000000000016. S2CID 201021120.
• Fiadjoe, Moïase Kwasivi; Bell, Ernestine Gwet; Mayenga, Jean-Marc (January 2013). "Prise en charge chirurgicale de l'infertilité : moyens et spécificités en Afrique sub saharienne" [Surgical management: tools and specificity in Sub-Saharan Africa]. Reproduction Humaine et Hormones (in French). 25 (3/4): 59–63. ProQuest 1346653007.
• Bell, Ernestine Gwet (January 2013). "Traitement médical de la femme infertile en Afrique" [The medical treatment of infertile women in Africa]. Reproduction Humaine et Hormones (in French). 25 (3/4): 50–58. ProQuest 1346653005.

Personal life

Gwet Bell is married and has two daughters and a son.^[1]