8 things to know about Ifedayo Adetifa, new NCDC boss

President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed Dr Ifedayo Morayo Adetifa as the new Director General of Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

Adetifa will take over from Chikwe Ihekweazu, who has been given an appointment at the World Health Organisation (WHO).

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Below are eight you did not know about the NCDC new boss

Educational Background 

Dr Ifedayo Morayo Adetifa obtained his medical degree at the University of Ilorin, Kwara State and trained in Paediatrics and Child Health at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital.

West Africa College of Physicians and Paediatrics fellow 

He received the Fellowship of the West Africa College of Physicians in Paediatrics in 2005.

Netherland-Trained Epidemiologist

The NCDC new boss studied Epidemiology at the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, where he bagged his MSC and PhD.

Associate Professor

Until his appointment Dr Ifedayo Morayo Adetifa was an Associate Professor of Infectious Diseases Epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Research interests

Adetifa’s research interests are in vaccine impact/effectiveness studies, innovative approaches/surveillance tools for monitoring vaccination, Tuberculosis Epidemiology, and evidence synthesis including systematic reviews.

MRC/DFID African Research Leader Fellowship

In 2018 he was awarded the MRC/DFID African Research Leader Fellowship. He also a member of the Kenyan National Immunisation Coordinating Committee and a member of the World Health Organisation, Africa Region’s (WHO-AFRO) Regional Immunisation Technical Advisory Group.

Overseas service

Dr Ifedayo Morayo Adetifa served overseas as a Clinical Epidemiologist at the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kiliufi, Kenya.

Vaccine roles

Dr Ifedayo Morayo Adetifa vaccine policy advisory roles include membership of the Kenyan National Immunisation Coordination Committee, the WHO AFRO Regional Immunisation Technical Advisory Group (RITAG), the Advisory Group of the WHO Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme, and the WHO Technical Advisory Group on RSV vaccines.