The Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Dr Kayode Opeifa, has urged young biomedical scholars to embrace emerging opportunities, strengthen research and develop homegrown innovations to improve healthcare and advance humanity.
Opeifa made the call at the 12th Annual Scientific Conference of the Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Lagos (CMUL), where he addressed medical scientists, healthcare professionals, researchers and academics.
Reflecting on his academic journey at the University of Ilorin and the University of Lagos, Opeifa said the strong educational foundation he received had played a significant role in shaping his career.
He described medical scientists as the engine room of the healthcare sector, urging students to maximise their academic and clinical training to become globally competitive.
He also encouraged them to embrace research, keep pace with global medical developments and explore emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, stressing the need for African-led research and homegrown innovations.
Speaking on the conference theme, “Strengthening Biomedical Sciences for Innovation and Effective Research Outcomes: Strategies for Improved Healthcare,” the Director of Clinical Chemistry at Eli Lilly and Company, Indiana, United States, Dr Kwaku Baryeh, called for stronger collaboration and greater commitment to research integrity.
Baryeh, who delivered his address virtually, said partnerships and broader stakeholder participation were essential to producing reliable research outcomes and improving healthcare delivery.
Similarly, the Director of the Centre for Clinical Trials and Implementation Science, University of Lagos, Prof. Bosede Bukola Afolabi, advocated multi-sectoral collaboration among healthcare professionals and sustained mentorship for young researchers.
The Chairman of the occasion, Mr Olaniyi Yusuf, Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group and Managing Partner of Andersen Consulting, also called for stronger partnerships between universities, research institutions and funding organisations.
In his remarks, the Provost of CMUL, Prof. Ademola Oremosu, said the conference theme was timely, noting that Basic Medical Sciences should no longer be regarded merely as a preclinical requirement but recognised as the foundation of medical innovation.
“The Basic Sciences are a foundation, the engine room and indeed the future of medicine. Without strong biomedical science, there is no innovation, no drug discovery, no vaccines, and no diagnostics, and [we remain] mere consumers of other people’s innovations,” he said.
The opening ceremony featured the presentation of awards of excellence to Yusuf, Opeifa and the pioneer Dean of the Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Prof. Sunday Aremu Omilabu.
