Professor Olalekan Ayo-Yusuf, a Nigerian-born scholar based in South Africa, is set to deliver his inaugural address at the University of Pretoria on February 27, 2025. The address, titled “Turning the Tide on Tobacco and the Industry’s Product Innovation Gambit,” marks a significant milestone in Prof. Ayo-Yusuf’s career as he attains full Professorship.
Prof. Ayo-Yusuf is a renowned expert in public health, with a focus on tobacco control and non-communicable disease prevention. He has led several global efforts to combat tobacco use and has served as a principal investigator and co-investigator on numerous national and international research projects.
Currently, Prof. Ayo-Yusuf is the Head of the School of Health Systems and Public Health at the University of Pretoria. He has also held various leadership positions, including Hospital Superintendent in Limpopo Province and Dean and Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation at Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University.
Prof. Ayo-Yusuf’s expertise extends to hospital management, university leadership, epidemiology, innovation, research design, health promotion, and policy development. He has published over 150 peer-reviewed scientific papers and serves on the editorial boards of multiple international journals.
The inaugural address will be streamed live for invitees who cannot attend in person. Notably, this landmark event coincides with the 20th anniversary of the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).
Prof. Ayo-Yusuf’s achievements and contributions to public health have earned him various prestigious roles, including:
– Chairman of the Standing Committee on Health of the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)
– Co-Chairman of the Next World Conference in Tobacco, scheduled for June 2025 in Dublin
– Member of the WHO Tobacco Regulation Scientific Group
– Chair of the Gauteng Provincial Health Research Committee
His inaugural address promises to be a significant event, marking a major milestone in his career and highlighting his contributions to the field of public health.
The event will be streamed live.
