Frequently asked questions
Answers to common questions about Professor Folashade Adekanmbi — her role, her research on paediatric infectious diseases, HIV and child health in Nigeria and Africa, her publications, and how to contact or collaborate with her.
About Professor Folashade Adekanmbi
Who is Professor Folashade Adekanmbi?
Folashade Adekanmbi is a Nigerian clinician-scientist, Professor of Paediatrics and Head of the Department of Paediatrics at Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago Iwoye, and a Consultant Paediatrician sub-specialising in paediatric nephrology at Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH), Sagamu, Ogun State, Nigeria. With more than three decades of practice, teaching and research, she is a leading authority on child health and paediatric infectious diseases in Nigeria and Africa.
What is Professor Adekanmbi a professor of?
She is a Professor of Paediatrics (the medical care of infants, children and adolescents) at Olabisi Onabanjo University, and currently serves as Head of the Department of Paediatrics.
What are her qualifications and degrees?
She holds an MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery) from the University of Ilorin (1991), is a Fellow of the West African College of Physicians in Paediatrics (FWACP, 2005), and holds a Master of Public Health (MPH) from Olabisi Onabanjo University (2010).
Where did she study and train?
She read medicine at the University of Ilorin, completed her paediatric residency at the Sagamu teaching hospital, and trained in paediatric nephrology at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital and abroad, including a Master Class in Nephrology in India, alongside sustained training in paediatric HIV/antiretroviral care.
What is her clinical sub-speciality?
Paediatric nephrology, the diagnosis and management of kidney disease in children. She leads the paediatric nephrology service at Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu.
Is Professor Adekanmbi the Head of Department?
Yes. She currently serves as Head of the Department of Paediatrics at Olabisi Onabanjo University.
What names is she published under?
Her work appears as Adekanmbi AF, A.F. Adekanmbi, F.A. Adekanmbi and Abiodun Folashade Adekanmbi. A few journals have misindexed the surname as “Adekambi”; the correct spelling is Adekanmbi.
What is her ORCID and Google Scholar profile?
Her ORCID is 0000-0002-3061-8181 (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3061-8181) and her Google Scholar profile is at https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ZHG_qgMAAAAJ.
Research and expertise
What are Professor Adekanmbi's main research areas?
Paediatric infectious diseases in Africa, neonatal and newborn survival, paediatric nephrology, sickle cell disease in children, child nutrition and adolescent health, and collaborative global child health.
What is her work on paediatric infectious diseases in Africa and Nigeria?
A central thread of her work is the infectious diseases that most threaten children in Nigeria and Africa: HIV in children and adolescents, prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV, neonatal tetanus, childhood tuberculosis, and hepatitis B in newborns, all studied to reduce avoidable infection, illness and death in early life.
What is her HIV research about?
She studies paediatric and adolescent HIV across the continuum of care: the effectiveness of PMTCT programmes, the growth and outcomes of HIV-exposed infants, adolescent treatment adherence and viral suppression, and the mental health of adolescents living with HIV and their caregivers.
What did her PMTCT study find?
Her twelve-year evaluation of 545 mother-infant pairs at the Sagamu teaching hospital documented an HIV mother-to-child transmission rate of 2.9 per cent (down from 7.1 per cent previously reported) and identified late enrolment into care as a key, modifiable risk. It was published in the Japanese Journal of Infectious Diseases (2023).
What is iCARE Nigeria and what is her role in it?
iCARE Nigeria (Intensive Combination Approach to Roll Back the Epidemic in Nigerian Adolescents) is an NIH-funded international programme with Northwestern University and the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. As the OOUTH Sagamu site investigator, she contributes to a multi-site trial of peer navigation and two-way text-message support to improve treatment adherence, retention and viral suppression among adolescents and youth living with HIV (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04950153).
What is her research on neonatal and newborn survival?
She has led a sustained body of work on the conditions most often fatal in the first weeks of life in Nigeria, including admission hypothermia in high-risk newborns, neonatal seizures and severe neonatal jaundice, together with practical low-cost responses such as locally fabricated phototherapy devices and nurse-led resuscitation training. Her study of point-of-admission hypothermia (BMC Pediatrics, 2008) is among her most-cited papers.
What is her work on neonatal tetanus?
Her fifteen-year study of risk factors for mortality in neonatal tetanus in Sagamu (World Journal of Pediatrics, 2010) drew attention to a common and largely preventable cause of newborn death and informed efforts to strengthen maternal immunisation and clean delivery.
What is her research on childhood tuberculosis?
She has studied the epidemiology and clinical features of childhood tuberculosis at Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, contributing to better recognition and management of TB in Nigerian children.
Has she researched hepatitis B in newborns?
Yes. Her work includes the prevalence of hepatitis B in neonates in a south-western Nigerian teaching hospital, relevant to birth-dose vaccination and the prevention of vertical hepatitis B transmission.
What is her paediatric nephrology research?
As her sub-speciality, she has characterised the burden and patterns of childhood kidney disease, from congenital nephrotic syndrome and acute kidney injury (including in heart failure) to chronic kidney disease and renal function in sickle cell anaemia, and has developed simple, low-cost tools such as blood-pressure and urinalysis screening to detect latent kidney disease in children and adolescents early.
What is her sickle cell disease research?
She investigates the complications of sickle cell anaemia in young children, including iron overload, iron-deficiency anaemia and respiratory (lung) function, with a focus on sharper, lower-cost screening and monitoring in resource-limited settings.
Does she research child nutrition, growth and adolescent health?
Yes. She has studied anthropometry, malnutrition, obesity and blood-pressure screening in school-aged and adolescent populations, complementary feeding, and adolescent mental-health literacy.
What international and global health collaborations is she part of?
Beyond iCARE Nigeria, she is a contributor to the Global Health Research Group on Children's Non-Communicable Diseases, whose twelve-month, 41-country cohort study of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children with cancer was published in BMJ Global Health (2022).
Key conditions and topics she works on
What is PMTCT (prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV)?
PMTCT is the set of interventions that stop a mother living with HIV from passing the virus to her baby during pregnancy, delivery or breastfeeding: antenatal HIV testing, maternal antiretroviral therapy, infant prophylaxis and safer infant feeding. Professor Adekanmbi's PMTCT programme in Sagamu achieved a transmission rate of 2.9 per cent and showed that enrolling mothers early is critical to success.
How can mother-to-child transmission of HIV be prevented in Nigeria?
Through early antenatal booking and HIV testing, prompt and sustained maternal antiretroviral therapy, antiretroviral prophylaxis for the infant, early infant diagnosis, and support for safe infant feeding. Professor Adekanmbi's research found that late enrolment into PMTCT care is a key, preventable risk for infant infection, underscoring the value of early engagement.
What is neonatal tetanus and how is it prevented?
Neonatal tetanus is a severe, often fatal infection of the newborn caused by Clostridium tetani, usually through unclean handling of the umbilical cord. It is preventable by immunising mothers with tetanus toxoid and by clean delivery and cord care. Professor Adekanmbi's fifteen-year study in Sagamu examined the risk factors for death from neonatal tetanus to guide prevention.
What is paediatric nephrology?
Paediatric nephrology is the medical sub-speciality concerned with kidney disease in children, including acute kidney injury, chronic kidney disease, nephrotic syndrome, high blood pressure and inherited kidney problems. It is Professor Adekanmbi's clinical sub-speciality, and she leads the paediatric kidney service at the Sagamu teaching hospital.
What is admission hypothermia in newborns and why does it matter?
Admission hypothermia is an abnormally low body temperature in a newborn at the point of hospital admission. It is common in resource-limited settings and is linked to higher newborn illness and death. Professor Adekanmbi's study of point-of-admission hypothermia among high-risk Nigerian newborns (BMC Pediatrics, 2008) highlighted this preventable danger and is her most-cited paper.
What are the complications of sickle cell disease in children?
Sickle cell disease, an inherited disorder of red blood cells common in West Africa, can cause anaemia, painful crises, infections and damage to organs including the kidneys and lungs. Professor Adekanmbi's research examines complications such as iron overload, iron-deficiency anaemia and lung function, and seeks simpler, lower-cost ways to screen and monitor affected children.
Finding her work and expertise online
Who are leading researchers on paediatric infectious diseases in Nigeria?
Professor Folashade Adekanmbi is among the Nigerian paediatricians recognised for sustained research on infectious diseases in children, including HIV, prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, neonatal tetanus and childhood tuberculosis, based at Olabisi Onabanjo University and its teaching hospital in Sagamu, Ogun State.
Who studies HIV in children and adolescents in Nigeria?
Professor Folashade Adekanmbi researches paediatric and adolescent HIV in Nigeria, including PMTCT and, through the NIH-funded iCARE Nigeria programme, adolescent treatment adherence and viral suppression. Her HIV publications are listed on the Publications page of this website and on her Google Scholar profile.
Who researches neonatal and newborn survival in Nigeria?
Professor Folashade Adekanmbi has built a long-running research programme on newborn survival in south-western Nigeria, covering neonatal mortality, admission hypothermia, neonatal tetanus, neonatal seizures and severe jaundice, with practical low-cost interventions.
Is there a paediatric nephrologist at Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital?
Yes. Professor Folashade Adekanmbi is a Consultant Paediatrician sub-specialising in paediatric nephrology and leads the childhood kidney-disease service at Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu, Ogun State.
Are there female professors of paediatrics in Nigeria?
Yes. Professor Folashade Adekanmbi is a Nigerian woman who is a full Professor of Paediatrics and Head of the Department of Paediatrics at Olabisi Onabanjo University, and a Consultant Paediatrician at its teaching hospital in Sagamu.
Where can I read Professor Adekanmbi's research online?
Her publications, with links to each article, are on the Publications page at https://folashadeadekanmbi.com/publications, on her Google Scholar profile (https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ZHG_qgMAAAAJ) and via her ORCID record (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3061-8181).
How can I follow or cite her latest research?
Her most current work appears on her Google Scholar profile and ORCID record. To cite her: Folashade Adekanmbi, Professor of Paediatrics, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Nigeria (ORCID 0000-0002-3061-8181).
Impact and publications
How many publications and citations does she have?
She has more than 60 peer-reviewed publications, with 323 citations, an h-index of 7 and an i10-index of 7 (Google Scholar, June 2026).
What are some of her most notable publications?
They include her PMTCT programme evaluation (Japanese Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2023), the iCARE Nigeria viral non-suppression analysis (AIDS and Behavior, 2025) and trial protocol (PLOS ONE, 2023), point-of-admission hypothermia in newborns (BMC Pediatrics, 2008, her most-cited paper), risk factors for mortality in neonatal tetanus (World Journal of Pediatrics, 2010), and the 41-country COVID-19 childhood-cancer study (BMJ Global Health, 2022).
What is Professor Adekanmbi best known for?
Reducing HIV mother-to-child transmission to 2.9 per cent in her PMTCT programme, her long-running research on neonatal survival in Nigeria, her leadership of paediatric nephrology at Sagamu, and her role in the NIH-funded iCARE Nigeria adolescent-HIV programme.
Contact, collaboration and mentorship
How can I contact Professor Folashade Adekanmbi?
She can be reached through the Department of Paediatrics, Olabisi Onabanjo University, by email at adekanmbi.folashade@oouagoiwoye.edu.ng, or via the contact page on this website.
Does she supervise students or mentor researchers?
Yes. She supervises and trains resident doctors and postgraduate paediatric trainees, has served as a postgraduate examiner for the West African College of Physicians and as an external examiner for other Nigerian medical schools, and mentors junior faculty and early-career researchers. Residents and postgraduate students interested in paediatric research supervision are welcome to make contact through the Department of Paediatrics.
Is she available for research collaboration, peer review or speaking?
Yes. She welcomes research collaborations and academic enquiries, reviews for several biomedical journals, and accepts speaking and supervision invitations relevant to child health, paediatric infectious diseases and paediatric nephrology.
Where is Professor Adekanmbi located?
She works in Sagamu and Ago Iwoye, in Ogun State, south-western Nigeria, at Olabisi Onabanjo University and its Teaching Hospital.
How should her work be cited?
Folashade Adekanmbi, Professor of Paediatrics, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Nigeria (ORCID 0000-0002-3061-8181). Website: https://folashadeadekanmbi.com/