History of The Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Ibadan.
The Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences is derived from the defunct Faculty of Medicine – one of the three foundation Faculties of the University. The Faculty currently has 10 Departments. These are the Departments of Anatomy, Biochemistry, Physiology and Pharmacology/Therapeutics located on the main campus while the Departments of Chemical Pathology, Haematology, Medical Microbiology, Pathology, Virology as well as the new Biomedical Laboratory Science are located on the UCH campus.
Individually and collectively, the various Departments in the Faculty continue to contribute greatly to manpower development mandate of this University. Specifically, we contribute to the training of MBBS and BDS (Anatomy, Biochemistry, Physiology, Pharmacology/Therapeutics, Pathology, Medical Microbiology/Parasitology, Chemical Pathology, Haematology and Virology) students; B.Sc. Biochemistry and Physiology students; B. Pharmacy (Biochemistry, Physiology, Pharmacology/Therapeutics) programmes; B.Sc. Human Nutrition (Biochemistry, Physiology) programme, B. Physiotherapy (Anatomy, Physiology) progaramme; B. Nursing (Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry) programme. The Faculty also runs M.Sc, M.Phil. and Ph.D. programmes in the Departments of Biochemistry, Physiology, Anatomy, Pharmacology/Therapeutics, Chemical Pathology, Haematology and Virology.
In the area of research, it is on record that major discoveries and breakthrough research findings have emanated from works of scientists in the Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences. It is worthy of note that many of these findings have informed and continue to inform medical practice and public health programmes in Nigeria and other parts of the world.
In line with the University goal of becoming a world-class University, the Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences has identified the following research focus:
i. Human and cell structural biology
ii. Carcinogenesis and mutagenesis of food products and environmental toxicants in Nigeria.
iii. Medicinal properties of natural products
iv. Disorders of carbohydrate, protein and lipid metabolism, mineral metabolism, vitaminology.
v. Reproductive endocrinology, toxicology, and immunology of Infectious and parasitic diseases.
vi. Diagnosis, epidemiology, pathogenesis and pathology of diseases of medical importance in Nigeria.
vii. Diagnosis, epidemiology, pathogenesis and pathology of blood cells and hard tissue cancers in Nigeria.
viii. Haemoglobinopathies and coagulopathies
ix. Ecology, diagnosis, epidemiology pathogenesis and pathology of viruses of medical and economic importance in Nigeria.
x. Microbial genome sequence, analyses.
xi. Development of diagnostics drugs and vaccines.
DEAN OF THE FACULTY OF BASIC MEDICAL SCIENCES UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN
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| Professor Oyeronke A. Odunola |
Professor Oyeronke A. Odunola is the Dean of the Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Ibadan, Head of Department of the department of Biochemistry and Director of Research, Cancer Research and Molecular Biology Laboratories, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria. She is the immediate past Director, Research Management Office, of the same University. She has also served the University as Hall Warden (Obafemi Awolowo and Queen Elizabeth II Halls) and as Acting Head of the Department of Biochemistry.
She obtained her BSc, MSc and PhD degrees in Biochemistry from University of Ibadan in 1984, 1986 and 1990 respectively. She emerged the best graduating student at both the B.Sc. and M.Sc. levels.
Prof. Odunola has thirty-three (33) years teaching and research experience in cancer research and molecular biology, environmental toxicology, immuno-oncology, bioinformatics, nutritional genomics and climate change. She also has expertise in research administration and management, and public engagement. She is a recipient of International Agency for Research on Cancer (1985) and African Petroleum (1989) Travel Grants, University of Ibadan Senate Research Grants (1996, 1999 & 2000). She led the teams that won the DFID, UK-funded Climate Impact Research Capacity and Leadership Enhancement (CIRCLE) Implementation Grant for University of Ibadan (2017, 2018 & 2019). In terms of capacity building, she has mentored and empowered several students and early career researchers, and has successfully supervised eight (8) PhD thesis, five (5) MPhil dissertations, one hundred and twenty-five (125) MSc dissertations and over two hundred (200) undergraduate projects.
Prof. Odunola has organised and coordinated several training workshops on manuscript writing, grantsmanship, data management and commercialization, researcher’s development and research ethics, mentoring, and research administration and financial management. She has also facilitated a couple of cancer awareness and screening programmes. She has over one hundred and thirty (130) publications in reputable peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings to her credit.
Prof. Odunola has served as External Examiner to several Universities in Nigeria and to University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa; University of South Africa, South Africa and University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana, and as External Assessor for University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana and University of Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana. She also served as a mentor on the African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) programme.
Prof. Odunola is a member of the following learned societies: Science Association of Nigeria; Nigerian Society of Experimental Biology (NISEB); West African Research and Innovation Management Association (WARIMA); African Society of Drosophillists (ASD); the Society of Toxicology (SOT), USA, Society of Research Administrators International (SRAI), (USA) and Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSDW). She is an honorary Fellow of the Chemical Society of Nigeria, Kwara Chapter.
SUB DEAN OF THE FACULTY OF BASIC MEDICAL SCIENCES, UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN
Dr. S.T. Shittu had his bachelor's degree from the University of Ilorin and his Masters and doctorate degrees from the University of Ibadan.
He recently had a practical skill training on optogenetics and stereotaxic surgical procedures at King's College London. His research interest is in the areas of endocrinology and metabolism with a focus to elaborate the involvement of the small intestine in glucose homeostasis in normal and diabetic conditions. He is also interested in establishing the exact signal transduction by which _Ocimum gratissinum_ leaf and its active components bring about their hypoglycemic activities in animal models of diabetes mellitus. He is a member of several scientific societies within the country and abroad. He has a passion for ethical handling of laboratory animals, and he is currently in charge of the departmental postgraduate animal house.
He is the current sub-dean of the Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Ibadan.
PROVOST OF THE COLLEGE OF MEDICINE, UCH, UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN
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| Olayinka Olusola Omigbodun (née Banjo) FAS, FNAMed, FAMedS MBBS (Ibadan), Dip Psych (Manchester), MPH (Leeds), MD (NMC) FWACP (Psych), FMCPsych |
From 2011 to 2020, Olayinka was pioneer director of the University’s MacArthur Foundation-funded Centre for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, a multidisciplinary centre for advocacy, training, research and service in child and adolescent mental health. The rich diversity of CCAMH extends to over 130 graduates so far, drawn from 14 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, who completed a Master of Science degree programme in CAMH (MSc. CAMH). She was President of the International Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions (IACAPAP) from 2010 to 2014, the only African to have held this position since the organization with chapters in more than 70 countries was founded in 1937. She received the African Leadership award in Child and Adolescent Mental Health (2019) from the African Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (AACAMH), the International Contribution Award from IACAPAP (2020) and the World Psychiatric Association Honorary Membership award (2020). She is a Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Science (FAS) and a Foundation Fellow of both the Nigerian Academy of Medicine (FNAMed) and the Nigerian Academy of Medicine Specialties (FAMedS). She has published over 130 journal articles and book chapters.
She assumed office as the first female Provost of the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan (CoMUI) on 1 August 2020 for a four-year term.
Majority (75%) of Professor Omigbodun’s publications are in the field of Child and Youth Psychiatry and Mental Health. The early part of her research work was conducted at the different facets of healthcare for Children and Youth in Nigeria. The first large scale study of the prevalence and pattern of psychopathology in children attending a Nigerian primary care setting was researched into. She also carried out studies on the mental health of children and adolescents in schools. The results from these studies provide a foundation for interventions in schools. She has also researched into psychological interventions for children and adolescents with mental disorders and carried out anti-stigma interventions in schools. Women’s Mental Health and especially the psychological experiences surrounding Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) have also been researched into.
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