E. Oluwabunmi Ọlapade-Ọlaọpa MBBS, MD, FMed.Ed., DUrol., FRCS, FWACS, ACIArb, FAS, FNAMed, FAMedS
Professor Ẹmiọla Oluwabunmi Ọlapade-Ọlaọpa, the 11th Provost of the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Nigeria is the President-elect of the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME). Professor Ọlapade-Ọlaọpa secured an overwhelming mandate to lead the world body for the next two years commencing in January 2027 at the Executive Committee Meeting of WFME which took place at the Marriot in Lagos on March 24 and 25, 2026. The meeting was one of the activities that preluded the 2026 Association of Medical Schools in Africa (AMSA) Medical Education Conference from March 26 to 28, 2026.
The President-elect was presented to AMSA delegates and other conference attendees, both in-person and virtual, before the closing ceremonies on the last day by the President of WFME, Dr. Ricardo León Bórquez from Mexico. Eight of the 13 executive committee members from different parts of the world attended the meeting and the AMSA conference in person while others attended virtually. Africa is represented on the committee by the AMSA President.
Professor Olapade-Olaopa is an alumnus of the University of Ibadan, where he has built a distinguished career spanning urology, molecular biology, medical education, and health systems research.
He has been a pivotal figure in national and international health initiatives. Notably, he directed the development of the first homegrown, competency-based undergraduate medical and dental curricula in Sub-Saharan Africa (the 2010 University of Ibadan MBBS and BDS curricula). This framework replaced a 62-year-old curriculum and now serves as the template for medical education across Nigeria, several African nations, and parts of Asia. Furthermore, his pedagogical and assessment principles formed the basis of the 2023 Core Curriculum Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS) implemented by the National Universities Commission (NUC) for all academic disciplines in Nigeria.
As the 11th Provost of the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, he led the institution to a 3rd-place ranking among medical schools in Sub-Saharan Africa by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings. His leadership extends globally as the immediate past President of the Association of Medical Schools in Africa and as an advisor on health-professions education and systems development to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the governments of the United States, Finland, and Indonesia. He serves on the Academic Board of the Dar es Salaam University (Somalia) and is a former council member of the National Open University of Nigeria and the West African College of Surgeons. He is also the Acting Chairman of the Thomas-Bassir Biomedical Foundation (Nigeria), the country’s oldest independent biomedical research organization.
Professor Olapade-Olaopa’s research has yielded one patent, numerous international awards, over 150 scientific publications, and more than 200 invited presentations. Significant contributions include the first anatomy textbook for beginners in the Yoruba language (Eya ara fun alakobere) and the WHO’s Manual of Emergency and Essential Surgical Care in Sub-Saharan Africa. His contributions to innovation and science earned him election as a Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Science and a Foundation Fellow of both the Academy of Medicine and the Academy of Medical Sciences.
Outside of his professional life, Professor Olapade-Olaopa is a dedicated proponent of Yoruba culture and tradition. He is an avid reader of English and Yoruba classics, a music enthusiast, and an active amateur golfer.
