Professor Babatunde Lawal Salako
Director General, NIMR
Panelist
Prof Salako is a seasoned physician, teacher, researcher, and administrator. He is currently the Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Yaba Lagos. His primary employment remains as Professor of Nephrology at the College of Medicine, the University of Ibadan, and an Honorary Consultant Physician and Nephrologist at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria.
His foray into Medicine began in 1986 when he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) from the University of Ibadan and further went on to become a Fellow of the West African College of Physicians in 1994. He became the Head of the Department of Medicine in both Institutions in 2011 and was the Provost of the College of Medicine, the University of Ibadan between 2014 and 2016 when he was appointed the Director General, Nigrian Institute of Medical Research, Yaba Lagos by President Mohammadu Buhari. By dint of hard work and good clinical practice, he was elected Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh in 2014 and the Royal College of Physicians of London in 2016. Professor Salako was the Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association in Oyo State 2002-2004 and Assistant Editor-in-Chief African Journal of Medicine and Medical Sciences 2012 to 2014.
He was appointed the editor of the Tropical Journal of Nephrology, the official journal of the Nigerian Association of Nephrology 2005-2012, having become a member in 1991; Vice-President of the Association in 2012; President-Elect of the association in 2014, and later President of the Nigerian Association of Nephrology in 2016. He is a visiting Professor to the University of Arizona, University of Michigan, Loyola University all in the USA and visiting nephrologist at Machester University Teaching Hospitals at different times. He has been external examiner/reviewer to a number of Universities both home and abroad including the University of Cape Coast, University of Cape Town, University of Western Cape, South African Research Foundation and the Welcome Trust, UK.
As a nephrologist, he displayed excellence in the performance of his duties, he was recognized by the Board and Management of the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria in 2008 with an award of Excellence and commitment to Medical Practice in recognition of his contribution to the first successful kidney transplantation at the University College Hospital, Ibadan. He was subsequently to be invited by Novartis International Pharmaceuticals as an opinion Leader in an Expert panel to discuss kidney transplantation in Sub-Saharan Africa- Dakar, Senegal 2010 . He has been invited as a guset lecturer or keynote speaker in over 100 times.
Over the years Professor Salako has worked on Hypertension and kidney diseases with grant support from the College of Medicine and Senate of the University of Ibadan, the MacArthur Foundation, and 5 NIH grants as both site PI, and in a project with multiple PI on the H3Africa Kidney Disease Research Network Consortium in collaboration with the Department of Public Health Sciences of the Loyola University, Chicago, University of Michigan USA, the University of Arizona and the University of Ghana. He worked in conjuction with Neimeth Pharmaceuticals Internation to formulate the drug Miniplus when Minizide was scarce in the Nigerian market. He is a member of many international consortia including the H3Africa kidney Disease Network and the recently launch Lancet Nigeria Commission Report on the Nigeria Health System. Professor Salako represents Nigeria on the General Assembly of the European and Developing Country Clinical Trial partnership (EDTCP) and also a member of the WHO/TDR Joint Coordinating Board and TDR Standing Committee, he chaired the Disease Endemic Country Committee of the TDR Joint Coordinating Board for 2 years.
He has been appointed as Temporary Adviser to the WHO on a number of occasions. Professor Salako was appointed Foundation Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Medicine (FNAMed) in 2019, Fellow Nigerian Academy of Science (FAS) in February 2020 and Fellow of the Nigerian Association of Nephrology in February 2022. He is the Chairman National Health Research Committee and Chairman National COVID-19 Research Coalition. He is a member of Tetfund Research and Development Standing Committee and Board of Expert of the CBN Health Sector Research and Development Innovation Scheme. He has to his credit more than 170 journal articles in both local and international journals including two books one on nephrology for laypersons and the other his autobiography. He is married to Mrs Saidat Abiola Abiodun Salako and they are blessed with 3 children.
