Bosede Bukola Afolabi

Bosede Bukola Afolabi (born 1970) is a Nigerian obstetrician, gynaecologist, academic, and maternal health researcher. She is a professor and a former head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the College of Medicine, Lagos University Teaching Hospital. Bosede is widely recognised for her research on maternal anaemia, sickle cell disease in pregnancy, and high-risk obstetric care in sub-saharan Africa. She is the founder and chairperson of the Maternal and Reproductive Health Collective, a nonprofit focused on research, advocacy, training, and also serves as Director at the Centre for Clinical Trials, Research and Implementation Science.

Early life and education Bosede was born in London in 1970. She completed her secondary education at Queen's College, Yaba, in Lagos, Nigeria. She later pursued a Doctor of Medicine (DM) degree in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom, earning the degree 2011 with a research thesis titled Plasma volume in normal and sickle cell pregnancies.

She holds several postgraduate fellowships, including:

Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (FRCOG) Fellow of the West African College of Surgeons (FWACS)

In addition, she earned a Diploma in Medical Education from the Foundation for the Advancement of International Medical Education and Research and a Certificate in Biostatistics and Epidemiology from the Harvard T.Chan School of Public Health in Boston, U.S.

Career

Academic and clinical roles Bosede began her clinical training in the United Kingdom, where she served as a senior house officer in Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Specialist Registrar in hospitals such as Central Middlesex Hospital and Hull Royal Infirmary, North Yorkshire. She returned to Nigeria in 1998 and became a Senior Registrar in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Lagos University Teaching Hospital in 2000. By 2002, she had risen to the position of Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist. Founder and chairperson, Maternal & Reproductive Health Collective. Board member, Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital. Chairman, Kensington Adebukola Adebutu Foundation Laboratory and Maternity Centre.

She has worked with academic and research institutions globally, including the University of Nottingham, Karolinska Institute, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Harvard T.Chan School of Public Health, Mayo Clinic, Northeastern University, and the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Belgium. IVON-PP (2024): A postpartum anaemia implementation trial published in BMJ Open. IVON-IS (2022-2025): A study assessing implementation strategies for IV iron therapy in antenatal care. SPEC-AI (2022-2023): A project using artificial intelligence to screen for peripartum cardiomyopathy, in collaboration with the Mayo Clinic. PIPSICKLE Trial (2020-2022): A Tertiary Education Trust Fund-supported study on the use of low-dose aspirin to prevent intrauterine growth restriction and preeclampsia in pregnant women with sickle cell disease.

She is also the Country Principal Investigator for multiple National Institutes of Health/Fogarty and Tertiary Education Trust Fund-funded projects.

Advocacy and public engagement A passionate advocate for maternal health, Bosede has been featured in several international media platforms. In 2023, she appeared on CNN African Voices for her work in maternal medicine and efforts to reduce maternal mortality among women with sickle cell disease.

Her advocacy and research have been profiled by CNN, Arise TV, BBC, Daily Trust, The Punch, Quartz Africa, World Economic Forum, and The Guardian Nigeria, amongst others.

She was also a featured speaker at the 2023 Gates Foundation Goalkeepers event organised by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation during the 78th United Nations General Assembly, where she spoke about lifesaving interventions for maternal anaemia.

Honors and awards Afolabi's contributions to clinical research and maternal health have earned her numerous accolades, including:

Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Medicine (FAMedS), 2021 Special Recognition Award, Physician of the Year Committee, 2021 Afolabi BB (2011). Plasma volume in sickle cell pregnancies. Doctor of Medicine Thesis, University of Nottingham.