It is no longer news that Nigeria’s numero uno tertiary health institution, the University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan is about to witness another kind of radical transformation with the emergence of Professor Jesse Abiodun Olubanjo Otegbayo as the new helmsman, the new Chief Medical Director.

After undergoing serious and rigorous tests, interviews and discussion sessions, the great Nigerian scholar and administrator emerged as the best among equals and his appointment was promptly ratified by the authorities above.

For the benefit of those, who, perhaps, never heard or met Professor Otegbayo before, below is his abridged CV.

Professor Jesse Abiodun Olubanjo Otegbayo was born in Sekondi Ghana on 17th December, 1961. He hails from Otan-Ile in Obokun Local Government Area of Osun State. . He studied Medicine at the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan from where he got his MBBS in 1989.

He underwent Residency training in Internal Medicine at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, and obtained the Fellowship of the West African College of Physicians in 1998. He subsequently obtained a Postgraduate Certificate in Gastroenterology at the University of Tel-Aviv and clinical scholar at the Chaim Sheba Medical Centre, Tel-Hashomer, Israel in 2002. He was a Union Internationale Contre Cancer clinical fellow at the Johann-Wolfgang Goethe Hopitale, Frankfurt, Germany in 2000.

In 2009, he was awarded the Fellowship of the American College of Gastroenterology and the Fellowship of the Royal College of Physician, Glasgow in 2015. He is also a Fellow of the International Union Against Cancer of Switzerland (UICC) and West African Health Organisation Scholar for Linguistic Exchange Programme to learn Medical French at the University of Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou. Professor Otegbayo obtained the MSc and Ph.D in Chemical Pathology/Immunology at the University of Ibadan in 2003 and 2011 respectively.

Over the past twenty years, he has taught and supervised both undergraduate and postgraduate students to the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery, University of Ibadan, and the Fellowship of the National Postgraduate Medical College and the West African College of Physicians at University College Hospital, University of Nigerian Teaching Hospital, Enugu, Babcock University/Babcock University Teaching Hospital, Ilisan, University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Lagos and Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos.

He also worked as Associate lecturer and Honorary Consultant Physician at the Ladoke Akintola University, and the Ladoke Akintola University Teaching Hospital, Osogbo.

He has been an examiner in Nigeria and Ghana to the West African College of Physicians since 2005 and belongs to several local and international professional associations, some of which are Nigerian Medical Association, Medical and Dental Consultants Association, American College of Physicians, Royal College of Physicians, Association of UICC Fellows, Society for Gastroenterology and Hepatology in Nigeria and several others.

His clinical interests are in Gastroenterology and Hepatology as evidenced by his research works on acute and chronic liver diseases, particularly viral hepatitis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. He has presented many academic papers at local, sub-regional and international conferences, and has over one hundred scholarly publications to his credit in both local and international journals.

Professor Otegbayo was the maiden Editor-in-Chief of the Nigerian Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology and Prime Medics Journal of the University College Hospital, Ibadan. He is a Member of the Editorial Board of the World Journal of Gastroenterology, Savannah Journal, Journal of Hepatology Research among others.

He has held several administrative positions, some of which are President, Association of Resident Doctors, Vice President, National Association of Resident Doctors, Assistant Secretary, General Secretary, Vice Chairman and Chairman, Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), UCH, National Publicity Secretary, MDCAN, Member, Oyo State Executive Council of Nigeria Medical Association.

He was the Director of Clinical Services, Research and Training & Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee, UCH Ibadan, Head, Departments of Medicine, Babcock University and Babcock University Teaching Hospital, and Department of Medicine University of Ibadan and University College Hospital, Ibadan. He was World Bank Consultant to the Ministry of Health & Sanitation, Sierra Leone and later the maiden Chief Medical Director, University of Sierra Leone Teaching Hospitals Complex, Freetown.

Professor Otegbayo is a member of the International Relations Committee of the American College of Gastroenterology, United States of America. He is equally a Chartered Member, Nigerian Institute of Management (MNIM), Fellow Certified International Professional Manager, United Kingdom (FCIPM-UK), Fellow Member of the International Professional Managers Association (FPMA), and holds a Professional Postgraduate Qualifying Diploma in Management Consultancy and Organisational Transformation. He is married to Bolanle Otegbayo, Ph. D, CFS (Associate Professor, Food Science and Technology) and Director of Research, Innovations and Strategic Partnership at the Bowen University, Iwo Osun State. They are blessed with wonderful children.

Professor Otegbayo is taking over from Professor Temitope Alonge, who has completed his tenure as UCH CMD.

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of Professor Abiodun Otegbayo as the new Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Oyo State.

CULLED FROM PMParrot