About Us

History

Background Evolution: The Department of Epidemiology & Community Health is one of the foundation departments of the faculty of health sciences in 1978 at the inception of the University of Ilorin, Ilorin and the commencement of the MBBS programme at the then Faculty of Health sciences which later became College of Health Sciences in 2004. The founding fathers of the Department include Late Professor Pekun Alausa who was HOD and later became the Dean of the Faculty from 1979 till 1984. The Late Prof Dapo Adekolo-John was another founding father and HOD from 1984- to 1987 fter which he became the Chairman Medical Advisory committee (CMAC) of the University of Ilorin Teaching hospital. Other foundation members of the Department include Prof D.B.Parakoyi (HOD 2002 to 2007), Late Prof Awoyemi who was HOD from 2007 to 2010, Late Prof Gbolahan Oni. The Late Prof Ibikunle  Alade (a nutritionist) and Mr. K. Omonisi were early mebers of staff of the department. Other former HODs include Professors Mrs Margrate Araoye (2010-2013), TM Akande (2013-2016), GK Osagbemi (2016-2019), IO Musa (2019-2022) and IS Abdulraheem (2022-2025)  

The Department was domiciled at University of Ilorin temporary for 32 years before moving to the current site in 2010. The department is involved in the teaching and research of both undergraduate (MBBS) and Postgraduate (MPH & PhD Public Health) programmes of the faculty. The department is also an accredited training centre for both National postgraduate medical College (Nigeria) and West Africa College of Physicians in Public Health specialty. Additionally, the department is among the training centers for MD Programme of National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria.  The community service mandate of the department is through rural and urban community health service programmes for undergraduate and postgraduate students through the supervision by Medical Consultants. The department ran the Staff Clinic in UITH since its inception and later co-run the National Health Insurance Scheme clinic of UITH with Family Medicine department.

The research activities of the department are wide and vary according to the research interest of staff. It covers most of the components of public health such as epidemiology, biostatistics, environmental health, occupational health, health planning and administration, health policy & management, public health nutrition, health care financing, health emergency, disease surveillance and geriatric care to mention bur few.  

The department has also successfully trained several medical students and resident doctors who have become Consultants, Lecturers and Professors, some of whom have been retained in the Department. The Department has also produced Chairman Medical Advisory Committee

(CMAC), Deputy CMAC, Directors, and International Consultants. The current HOD is Professor I.S. Abdulraheem who is an alumnus of University of Ilorin (the “Better by far “university in Nigeria).