About Prof. Morenike
Dr. Mrs. Morenike Oluwatoyin Folayan is a distinguished Professor affiliated with Obafemi Awolowo University. She holds a dual role as a clinician at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, where she imparts clinical oral health care knowledge to both undergraduate and postgraduate students, particularly focusing on children and adolescents. Dr. Folayan remains a valuable resource for the institution, consistently delivering updates on bioethics, adolescent sexual and reproductive health, community engagement in research, and HIV prevention, treatment, and cure research through various educational platforms available to her.
Within the College of Health Sciences at Obafemi Awolowo University, Dr. Folayan serves as the Deputy Director of the College of Health Sciences Research & Partnership Advancement (CoRPA) Unit. Additionally, she assumes the role of the Head of the Research and Innovative Support Unit, where her responsibilities include identifying and managing new grants and partnerships for the College. Her specific tasks involve collaborating with various units to enhance research capabilities among staff through training and mentoring programs in research methodology, grantsmanship, ethical scientific publications, and research/grant management. Dr. Folayan works towards improving the availability of resources for teaching, training, and research, advancing alumni relations efforts, and fostering new and existing partnerships and stakeholder relations.
In her research endeavors in child oral health, Dr. Folayan concentrates on the epidemiology of caries in children. Her extensive research on the epidemiology of early childhood caries includes ongoing work aimed at identifying macro-level factors that increase the risk of preschool children developing caries. Collaborating with colleagues and peers, she is actively engaged in developing implementation models for integrating oral, mental, sexual, and reproductive health for adolescents. In her clinical practice in oral health, Dr. Folayan specializes in the effective management of dental anxiety in children.
Dr. Folayan is currently spearheading a Global Health Initiative Programme. With over 25 years of experience in HIV and AIDS research, capacity building, and advocacy, her contributions extend beyond Nigeria to Africa and beyond. Noteworthy projects include her role as the Community Liaison for the Microbicide Trials Network (MTN) and her involvement in the design and conduct of the Nigeria Canada AIDS Vaccine (NICCAV) Research Project. Locally, she has played a pivotal role in building capacity for Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), communities, academia, and Health Research Ethics Committees, facilitating engagement with HIV prevention research through bioethics and research literacy training.
Dr. Folayan’s community work brings her into direct contact with Key Populations, involving a 15-year commitment to research literacy programs and consultancy roles for various initiatives focused on Female Sex Workers, Men Having Sex with Men, and Key Affected Populations. She has conducted numerous monitoring and evaluation projects within and outside Nigeria, contributing to impactful assessments of HIV and AIDS prevention, treatment, and care programs.
