Sylvanus Okogbenin

Prof. Sylvanus Okogbenin is the Chief Medical Director of the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Irrua, Nigeria, a centre of excellence for the control and research of Lassa Fever and other highly infectious pathogens. He is a professor/consultant of obstetrics and gynaecology and a college academic board member of the College of Medicine, Ambrose Ali University, Ekpoma, Nigeria. He is a graduate of the College of Medicine, University of Lagos and a fellow of the West African College of Surgeons. He is the National Chairman for the Lassa Fever Research Consortium and with his team of researchers has received several research grants including the CEPI-Epi Epidemiological Assessment of Lassa Fever in Nigeria, the Pan-African Network for Rapid Research, Response, Relief and Preparedness for Infectious Disease Epidemics, the German Federal Ministry of Health grant for stationary diagnostic capacity for identification and characterisation of emerging infectious disease epidemics. Prof. Okogbenin has established strong research collaborations with several partners in Europe, especially the Bernard Notch Institute of Tropical Medicine Hamburg. This has helped strengthen research capacity at the Irrua Specialist Teaching hospital through the development of infrastructure and training. He provided diagnostic and interventional support for the west African response to Ebola via European Union mobile laboratory testing. He authored many papers in Lassa Fever with particular interest in Lassa Fever in pregnancy. His research has helped to shape the national treatment guidelines in Lassa Fever especially the management of Lassa Fever in pregnancy. He has chaired many national committees including the Federal Ministry of Health committee for the establishment and accreditation of laboratory, isolation and treatment facilities for COVID-19. He established and managed ThisDay Dome Isolation and Treatment Centre, a 300 bed treatment facility at the Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria.