Kadima was born in Burundi and moved to the Democratic Republic of Congo when she was 4 years old.[3] After spending one year at the University of Kinshasa, in the Department of Chemistry, she moved to Montréal, Canada, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, and a Master of Science in Physical Chemistry at the University of Montreal.[4] Her father was a diabetic and died from complications from diabetes while she was at the University of Montreal.[5] She, then, moved to Edmonton, Canada, where she earned a PhD in bioanalytical chemistry from the University of Alberta.[4] Her Ph.D. research work investigated the Chemistry of the toxicology of cadmium in red blood cells.[4]
Career
After graduating from the University of Alberta, Kadima held several different research and teaching positions and eventually became a professor at the State University of New York at Oswego.[3][4] In 2004 she returned to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for a sabbatical to collaborate on research projects, concentrating her research on plants used to treat diabetes in the DRC.[4] She created a nonprofit called the Bioactive Botanical Research Institute, whose mission was to investigate medicinal plants used in the Congo and to develop pharmaceutical preparations that would be affordable, effective and safe.[4] She has also worked to create an ongoing exchange of African students with the State University of New York at Oswego.[6] In 2010 it was announced that she had received a $200,000 National Science Foundation grant for the study of how to expand the number of women in science.[7][8]
In July 1983, she published the results of her Ph.D. research on a proton nuclear magnetic resonance study of the interaction of cadmium with human erythrocytes together with Rabenstein, Isab and Mohanakrishnan.[9] She was later first author on a paper looking at the stability of the cadmium-glutathione complex in hemolysed red blood cells.[10] In the Inorganica Chimica Acta she published an article about the kinetics of palladium ethylenediamine chloride in solution summarizing results of her MS research.[11]
Scientific publications
Webe Kadima and Michael Hanson: A NMR Study of the T3R3 to R6 Allosteric Transition in the Iron-substituted Insulin Hexamer. Working Paper, Jan 2017.[12]
Webe Kadima, Angela Nugroho, Deborah Kerwood and Phil Borer: The T- to R-Allosteric Transition in the Cadmium-substituted Insulin Hexamer. Research, Jan 2016.[12]
Webe Kadima: Diabetes Screening in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. Research, Jan 2016.[12]
Helle Birk Olsen, Melissa R Leuenberger-Fisher, Webe Kadima, [...], Michael F Dunn: Structural signatures of the complex formed between 3-nitro-4-hydroxybenzoate and the Zn(II)-substituted R 6 insulin hexamer. Oct 2003, Protein Science.[12]
Webe Kadima: Role of Metal Ions in the T- To R-Allosteric Transition in the Insulin Hexamer. Nov 1999, Biochemistry.[12]
W. Kadima, P. Raharivelomanana and B. Bechtel: The binding of cyclic adenosine 3′, 5′ monophosphate to the insulin hexamer. Jan 1997, Protein and Peptide Letters.[12]
W Kadima, L Ogendal, R Bauer, [...] and P Porting: The influence of ionic strength and pH on the aggregation properties of zinc-free insulin studied by static and dynamic laser light scattering. Biopolymers. Dec 1993, Biopolymers.[12]
W Kadima, M Roy, R. W. K. Lee, [...], M F Dunn: Studies of the association and conformational properties of metal-free insulin in alkaline sodium chloride solutions by one- and two-dimensional 1H NMR. Jun 1992, Journal of Biological Chemistry.[12]
Webe Kadima, Alexander McPherson, Michael F. Dunn and Frances Jurnak: Precrystallization aggregation of insulin by dynamic light scattering and comparison with canavalin. Mar 1991, Journal of Crystal Growth.[12]
Webe Kadima and Dallas L. Rabenstein: A quantitative study of the complexation of cadmium in hemolyzed human erythrocytes by 1H NMR spectroscopy. Nov 1990, Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry.[12]
Webe Kadima and Dallas L. Rabenstein: Nuclear magnetic resonance studies of the solution chemistry of metal complexes. 26. Mixed ligand complexes of cadmium, nitrilotriacetic acid, glutathione, and related ligands. J Inorg Biochem. May 1990, Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry.[12]
W Kadima, A McPherson, M F Dunn and F.A. Jurnak: Characterization of precrystallization aggregation of canavalin by dynamic light scattering. Feb 1990, Biophysical Journal.[12]
Karl F. Houben, Webe Kadima, Melinda Roy and Michael F. Dunn: L-Serine analogs form Schiff base and quinonoidal intermediates with Escherichia coli tryptophan synthase. May 1989, Biochemistry.[12]
Dallas L. Rabenstein, Anvarhusein A. Isab, Webe Kadima and P Mohanakrishnan: A proton nuclear magnetic resonance study of the interaction of cadmium with human erythrocytes. Aug 1983, Biochimica et Biophysica Acta.[12]
W. Kadima and M. Zador: Kinetics on interaction of Pd(en)Cl2 with inosine in chloride containing aqueous solutions. Jan 1983, Inorganica Chimica Acta.[12]
Webe Celine Kadima: NMR studies of the interaction of Cd(II) with ligands of biological interest and with red blood cells.[12]
^Rabenstein, Dallas L.; Isab, Anvarhusein A.; Kadima, Webe; Mohanakrishnan, P. (July 1983). "A proton nuclear magnetic resonance study of the interaction of cadmium with human erythrocytes". Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Molecular Cell Research. 762 (4): 531–541. doi:10.1016/0167-4889(83)90057-5. PMID6409155.
^Kadima, Webe; Rabenstein, Dallas L. (October 1990). "A quantitative study of the complexation of cadmium in hemolyzed human erythrocytes by1H NMR spectroscopy". Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry. 40 (2): 141–149. doi:10.1016/0162-0134(90)80047-2. PMID2128706.
^Kadima, W.; Zador, M. (January 1983). "Kinetics on interaction of Pd(en)Cl2 with inosine in chloride containing aqueous solutions". Inorganica Chimica Acta. 78: 97–101. doi:10.1016/S0020-1693(00)86496-8.