Dr. Oladele Akogun, PhD
Dr. Oladele Akogun has spent over 25 years on health system research, focusing on access to and utilization of intervention services. He holds a PhD in Public Health and a Postgraduate Diploma in Education and plays many roles—epidemiologist, entomologist, and researcher. Dr. Akogun is a trained guidance and career counselor, a certified mediator, and holds a diploma in common law. Since joining the staff of the Federal University of Technology in Yola, Nigeria in 1986, Dr. Akogun has mentored numerous graduate and postdoctoral researchers from around the world. He founded the University’s Research and Development unit, and today serves as a Professor of Public Health Parasitology.
He has worked with policy implementers at all levels in Northeastern Nigeria since 1986. He led the WHO team that mapped health facility locations. He was lead consultant for the child and maternal health landscape analysis in Taraba State and maternal survival initiatives in Zamfara. Dr. Akogun is also the Director of Common Heritage Foundation, which specializes in mentoring interns. Pan-American Health Organization honored him with the 2009 “Outstanding Contribution to South-South Cooperation Award” for spearheading research on access to interventions in Africa.
Dr. Akogun has worked to develop community-directed health interventions in remote communities using innovative technology solutions. In 2009, Dr. Akogun received a Grand Challenges Exploration grant from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that enabled him and his team to develop a robotic health assistant known as the Feverkit. The Feverkit can diagnose malaria from simple user inputs, and then direct users on how to take antimalarial treatments included with the device.
Dr. Akogun is the author of “The Researcher’s Manual,” a textbook on research for graduate students, as well as publishing more than 50 research articles, a novel and several books of poetry.