Olufemi Oladapo

Dr Olufemi (“Femi”) Oladapo is a maternal, perinatal, and newborn health research and public health expert, working as Unit Head in the Maternal and Perinatal Health, at the UNDP/UNFPA/UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction (HRP), Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research, WHO. He qualified as an obstetrician-gynaecologist in Nigeria and was an Associate Professor and Consultant at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Olabisi Onabanjo University/Teaching Hospital, Nigeria, until 2013. He holds a postgraduate degree in public health and the Fellowships of the West African College of Surgeons and International College of Surgeons.

Dr Oladapo has a particular interest in research capacity strengthening and was master trainer and international facilitator for the WHO workshop on Evidence-Based Decision-Making in Reproductive Health – a training workshop aimed at promoting best practices in sexual and reproductive health – from 2005 to 2009. From 2000, he led the clinical research and training activities of the Centre for Research in Reproductive Health, Sagamu, Nigeria (a centre collaborating with WHO in reproductive health research and training) and was the Centre’s Director of Clinical Research until 2013. Before joining WHO, Dr Oladapo collaborated with the WHO Department of Reproductive Health and Research in various technical capacities, including consolidating evidence base for guideline development and research prioritization in SRMNCH. His research interests include evidence synthesis relating to obstetric and midwifery care, quality antenatal, intrapartum, and postnatal care, and interventions/strategies to combat the leading causes of maternal and perinatal near-misses and deaths in underserved populations. He established the largest hospital network for surveillance and evaluation of the quality of care for near-misses and maternal deaths in Nigeria. He is a review author and editor for the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group.

Dr Oladapo joined the WHO Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research in 2013, where he provides managerial and technical leadership in research, evidence synthesis and guideline development to improve global maternal, perinatal and newborn health. Dr Oladapo leads WHO maternal and perinatal health guideline development portfolio.