Professor Adebola O. Ogunbiyi, a Professor of Dermatology in the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan has been named a recipient of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Presidential Citation Award for 2026.
Presidential citation:
“In recognition of your outstanding leadership which has profoundly shaped dermatology in Nigeria and beyond. You have served Dermatology globally as Past President of the Nigerian Association of Dermatologists, Vice President of both the African Society of Dermatology and Venereology, the International Society of Dermatology, and Past International Board Observer to the American Academy of Dermatology. As a pioneering educator, you have guided generations of physicians and strengthened academic excellence in medical education”.
Professor Ogunbiyi obtained her MBBS degree from the University of Lagos and a Diploma in Dermatology from the St John’s Institute of Dermatology, Guy’s and St Thomas Hospital, University of London. She is a fellow of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria, West African College of Physicians, Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, Academy of Medical Sciences and the Nigerian Academy of Medicine.
She is a dermatologist with interest in disorders of the hair, nails and scalp and trichoscopy. Her area of research includes pseudofolliculitis barbae and folliculitis keloidalis nuchae and hair loss in African women.
Professor Ogunbiyi has a passion for Medical Education and was the pioneer Director of the College of Medicine Education Unit, and past Head of the Department of Medicine, University of Ibadan. She serves as resource person on assessment methods in medical education.
She is the current Chairman for the Senate Docimology Committee and the immediate past Chairman for the Faculty of Internal Medicine of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria. She is a member of the international affairs committee of the American Academy of Dermatology and belongs to many other medical societies.
Mr. Toheeb Adio Yekeen, an Assistant Lecturer in the Department of Immunology, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, was honoured at the 7th Annual Scientific Conference of the Nigerian Academy of Science (NAS) which took place in Abuja, Nigeria, from January 27–28, 2026. His presentation was adjudged the best among all oral presentations delivered at the event. This is a testament to the quality and impact of the research emerging from the Department of Immunology, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan. The conference with the theme "From Research to Market: The Making of Knowledge-Based Economies", focused on bridging the gap between scientific research and commercial application.
His presentation:
Immunoinformatics Prediction of Natural Killer T Cell-Specific Epitopes and Active Sites for Peptide Vaccine Development against Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Toheeb Yekeen, Ganiyu Arinola, Victory Edem, Surajudeen Yaqub, Rahamon Sheu
The presentation identified specific epitopes and active sites for Natural Killer T-cells as basis for the development of novel peptide vaccine candidates aimed at combating Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Currently, Mr Yekeen is a PhD student at the College of Medicine under the supervision of Professor O. G. Arinola.
Aside from his academic work, Mr Yekeen is also experienced in data analyst, graphic- and web- design. He has participated in medical outreach for certain communities in Ibadan. He also received a Certificate of Commendation from the National Youth Service Corp, Ondo State for his laudable contributions during the service year.
A team of researchers from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom, led by Professor M. Omobowale of the Department of Agriculture and Environmental Engineering, University of Ibadan, visited the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan (COMUI), on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. The team was received by the Deputy Provost, Professor S.B. Olaleye on behalf of the Provost, Professor T.O. Ogundiran, FAS. The aim of the visit was to explore potential areas of collaboration in health and other shared academic and research interests between the two institutions. The event was held at the AOK Johnson Boardroom, with members of the University of Ibadan (UI) and COMUI management team in attendance to formally receive and welcome the delegation. The visitors from Scotland included Professor Margaret Graham, Director of the Edinburgh Earth Initiative; Dr. S. Amanfo, Regional Director for Africa and the Middle East, Edinburgh Global, University of Edinburgh; Dr. Geoffrey Banda, Head of the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation Studies at the University of Edinburgh; and Mrs Lucy Young, Director of Operations, Edinburgh Health Initiative. Other members of delegation were Professor Funmilola Ajani of the Climate Research Group, Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources; and Professor O.A. Oluwafemi of the Climate Research Group, Department of Forest Production and Products, University of Ibadan.
Professor Omobowale recalled that the University of Ibadan began its collaboration with the University of Edinburgh in 2024 on climate change initiatives, adopting a One Health approach and has since recorded several academic benefits, including fully funded students’ scholarships. He explained that the meeting stemmed from the collaborators’ strong desire to extend the partnership in health to the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan in order to further strengthen the relationship, following the signing of the recently reviewed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the University of Ibadan.
The Deputy Provost expressed appreciation to the delegation for their spirit of partnership. Members of the COMUI management team in attendance engaged in discussions and highlighted potential areas of collaboration, including the Infectious Disease Institute (IDI), the Medical Library, Virology, the Institute of Child Health (ICH), waste management, cardiovascular disease research, and plant-based pharmaceuticals aimed at enhancing preventive medicine globally, among others. Professor Olaleye stated that the College remains open to collaborative partnerships across the globe. He assured the delegation of the availability of highly competent researchers and strong technical expertise to ensure that the partnership with the College would be mutually beneficial and impactful.
In her response, Professor Margaret Graham stated that she was inspired by the areas of collaboration identified by the COMUI management, noting that none of them could be underestimated. Dr. S. Amanfo applauded the management team for identifying the Medical Library as one of the key areas of collaboration. He added that global health training opportunities in infectious diseases are fully funded and available to undergraduate and postgraduate students, both online and onsite. In his remarks, Dr. Geoffrey Banda stated that the institution aims to provide mentorship in health systems research and offer grants to young researchers to bridge the gap between medicine and industry.
In his closing remarks, Mr. A.E. Odedele, Secretary to the College commended the delegation for adopting a multidisciplinary approach in their pursuit of partnership with the University of Ibadan. He also presented COMUI souvenirs to the delegation in appreciation of their interest in collaborating with the College, and the delegation also reciprocated the gesture.
In conclusion, the Deputy Provost suggested that the engagement should not remain at the level of discussion alone. He emphasized that both parties must move beyond dialogue and take concrete actions to implement the agreed outcomes and ensure meaningful progress.
Professor Georgina Njideka Odaibo has been elected the Vice President (Africa) of the World Society for Virology (WSV). The WSV was established in 2017 with the overall mission of strengthening research on viruses affecting humans, animals, plants and other organisms. The WSV’s main objectives are to connect virologists worldwide, to provide educational resources, and to support a network of scientific collaboration among virologists, with a goal of helping members to advance their careers and to obtain funding, resources, and recognition for their achievements.
Georgina Odaibo is a Professor of Virology in the Department of Virology, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria. She is a 3-term (2011-2014; 2018-2020; 2021-2023) Head of Department of Virology with almost 30 years of teaching and research experience. She is an accomplished and eminent academic and researcher, who has contributed significantly to the understanding of viral infections and implementation science in Nigeria and Africa.
She was a research Fellow of Elizabeth Glaser Pediatrics AIDS Foundation at the Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwepen, Belgium and a Post-Doctoral Visiting Scientist at the Biomedical Research Institute, Georg Speyer Haus, Germany where she acquired more knowledge about virus cloning and sequencing techniques. In addition, she trained on the prestigious Biomedical/Biobehavioral Research Administration and Development (BRAD) Program at NIH, USA.
Professor Georgina Odaibo has served and still serves as Principal Investigator and Co-Investigator of several national and international research grants, including the NIH funded Medical Education Partnership Initiative in Nigeria (MEPIN) and the University of Ibadan MEPI Junior faculty research training; WHO funded multi-country research on Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) among under-five children; STRIPEN-HIV program (interprofessional education program) supported by Health Resources and Services Administration(HRSA), an agency of the U.S.Department of Health and Human Services through the University of California, San Francisco; in-country scientist for the Project on Vaccine Efficiency (PROVE) as well as the Pharmacovigilance projects in Nigeria, both funded by the MasterCard Foundation through Africa CDC and IDI Makerere/AFREhealth, just to mention a few.
Her research focus has been in the area of viral epidemiology, diagnostic virology and molecular virology. She has worked on many viruses of medical importance including, HIV, HBV, HCV, RSV, HPV, SARS-CoV-2, Influenza, arboviruses and others. She has noteworthy experience in various virological techniques including, Tissue culture, ELISA, Western immunoblotting, convectional and Real-time PCR, DNA sequencing, Genomics, Bioinformatics among others.
She was the Head of Department of Virology during the COVID-19 pandemic, and she and her team worked assiduously in the diagnosis, education of the populace and eventual control of the spread of the virus in the country. Through her work, she has strengthened laboratory capacity, improved diagnostic frameworks, and contributed to the global body of knowledge on infectious diseases. She has supervised 12 Ph.D. theses, over 35 M.Sc. dissertations in virology. She has mentored several young scientists, many of whom have success stories and are occupying very high positions of responsibility.
Professor Georgina Njideka Odaibo is widely recognized as the first female Professor of Virology at the University of Ibadan, and among the few that have broken the glass ceiling in a field historically dominated by men (https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/virology/articles/10.3389/fviro.2022.1078953/full). Her academic journey reflects not only intellectual excellence but also resilience and commitment to scientific growth within Africa.
Her election as Vice President of the World Society for Virology is therefore a moment of profound pride for the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Nigeria, Africa, and the global scientific community. As Vice President for the African continent, she is responsible for the activities of the society within the continent. She is expected to initiate new partnerships with virology societies and government agencies and international organizations to promote the objectives of the society and support its growth in Africa. With her wealth of experience, divine enablement, and her proclivity for hard work, she is set to fulfill the mandate of her new office.
Prof. Georgina Odaibo’s election has not only brought honor to the University of Ibadan, Ibadan, it will act as a bridge that brings the world’s cutting-edge methodologies and trending research interests into our local laboratories and institutions.