Board of Trustees.

The Government of Kano State, along with Pfizer Inc., has established a Board of Trustees consisting of seven members and one Executive Secretary to manage the operations of the Kano Independent Research Centre Trust (KIRCT). The board is led by the distinguished Professor of Medicine, a Nephrologist, and an administrator, Prof Aliyu Abdu; the other members include Dr Ibrahim Musa Idris, Prof Emmanuel Oni Idigbe, Prof Hadiza Saídu, Prof Muhammad Hamza, and Dr Amha Kebede. Prof Hamisu Salihu serves as the Director General and Chief Executive Officer, with David Odiwo as the Executive Secretary.

Member Board

Executive Secretary

Professor Aliyu Abdu MBBS,MD, PhD, MSc,FMCP,MWACP,

Trustee.

Prof Aliyu Abdu is a Professor of Medicine at Bayero University Kano, Consultant Physician and Nephrologist at Aminu Kano Teaching Kano, Provost college of Health Sciences Northwest University and Chairman Bayero University Health Research Ethics Committee.

Prof Aliyu Abdu obtained his MBBS degree from the University of Jos in 1994. He was a resident doctor at different times at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH), Jos University Teaching Hospital, and Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital (OAUTH) Ile Ife and thereafter passed the fellowship exams of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN) in 2006 in internal medicine (Nephrology). This qualifies him to practice as a consultant physician and Nephrologist at AKTH. He got a scholarship from the International Society for Peritoneal Dialysis (ISPD) in 2007 to study at the University of Witwatersrand Johannesburg from where he obtained an MSc and much later a PhD degree. He also had a Doctor of Medicine degree in 2021 from the NPMC. Additionally, he had a certificate in Project Management in Global Health from the University of Washington and a diploma in Research Ethics from the Center for Bioethics and Research, Ibadan.

Prof Abdu is involved in research work, clinical services, training, administration, and community service. He is the site principal investigator (PI) for many international collaborative researches funded through NIH grants such as the multi-center studies under the H3Africa Kidney Disease Research Consortium, and is a co-investigator in research collaborations with Vanderbilt University Institute for Global Health (VIGH) such as the R3 Study, the VRAMP and VNET grants.

He mentored many students and resident doctors and successfully supervised 15 residents who are now consultants practicing in different parts of the world. He also mentored awardees of the International Society of Nephrology (ISN) fellowship and the Vanderbilt-Emory-Cornell-Duke (VECD) Global Health Fellowship under the Fogarty International Center.

He was a former head of the department of Medicine BUK and AKTH, former deputy Dean of the faculty of clinical sciences, and later deputy provost of the College of Health Sciences BUK and later Provost of college of Health Sciences North West University. He was a member of the governing board and various committees of many national and international government and nongovernmental organizations in health and higher education. He served as a technical resource person at various times during accreditation exercises of both postgraduate and undergraduate programs for the NUC , MDCN and NPMCN. He is a reviewer to many national and international academic journals as well as an assessor to many universities for professorial assessments.

He has been honored and awarded by;

Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians London sept 2022,

Fellow Academy of Medical Sciences of Nigeria July 2021 ,

Awarded ISPD fellowship grant to study at the University of Witwatersrand 2007,

Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital Merit Award winner 2001

Nigerian Association of Nephrology/Jansen Cilag Best Renal Resident Doctor in Nigeria 2002

Key Opinion Leader in Kidney Transplantation in Africa award by the The Transplantation Society (TTS), November 2007

Dr. Ibrahim Musa Idris ,MBBS, FMCPath, MPH Epid ,MSCR

Trustee.

Dr Idris is a Consultant Haematologist, Special Adviser to Kano State Governor on Health Services, and Personal Physician. Dr. Idris leads a multidisciplinary team of highly recognized and motivated investigators in several investigator-initiated and industry-sponsored clinical research.

He is board-certified in Hematology and Transfusion Medicine by the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria. He completed his residency and fellowship training in 2016, and is currently serving as a Consultant Special Grade I at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital. He earned MBBS from Bayero University Kano (2006) and a Master’s degree in Epidemiology (2016) from Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States. He is completing a Master’s in Clinical Research at the Medical University of South Carolina.

His career trajectory is focused on understanding the clinical epidemiology and treatment strategies of sickle cell disease (SCD)-related neurological injuries (silent cerebral infarcts and strokes), recurrent ischemic priapism, and sexual dysfunctions. He is the Principal Investigator of Stroke Prevention in the Young Adults with Sickle Cell Anemia (SPIYA II) cohort, Priapism in Nigeria (PIN) Trial, and Sickle Cell Ostenecrosis (SICKLON) prospective cohort study. His work on priapism and stroke fetched him three prestigious fellowships (1. VECD-Fogarty Global Health Fellowship, 2. American Society of Hematology [ASH] Clinical Research Training Institute Fellowship, and TALENTS Fellowship). He is also one of the 12 faculty members in the field of Hematology across the world awarded with the ASH Global Research Award in 2021.

Professor Hadiza Saidu MBBS, FWACP

Trustee

Prof Sa’idu is a professor of medicine, consultant cardiologist at Bayero University Kano/Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital, Chief Medical Director of Muhammad Abdullahi Wase Specialist Hospital, a researcher and a women’s health advocate. She is a member Nigerian Cardiac Society, the European Society of Cardiologists, the Medical Women Association of NIGERIA, NIGERIA Medical Association.

She earned her MBBS from the University of Maiduguri in 2001 and completed her residency program and fellowship training in 2011.

She has published over 50 articles in international medical journals and presented at more than 20 international conferences, including the World Congress of Cardiology and the European Society of Cardiology Congress. She’s also a co-author of two book chapters on cardiovascular health in developing countries.

Prof Saidu is a profound leader who has led a team of over a hundred female medical professionals in community health initiatives. She is an advocate for policies to improve women’s health and gender equity in healthcare and has secured funding and partnerships for association projects. She has been awarded and recognized by different bodies.

PROFESSOR EMMANUEL ONI IDIGBE, Ph.D.

Trustee.

Professor Emmanuel Oni Idigbe, a Nigerian, is a Medical Microbiologist with over 40 years’ experience in Public Health Research and Administration. He obtained a B.Sc. (2^nd Class Upper Division in Microbiology) from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 1974 and a Ph.D. from the University of Glasgow, Scotland in 1979. He joined the services of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), Lagos in 1980 as a Research Fellow II and after several years of active and dedicated service, he rose through the professional/academic ranks to become the Director-General /CEO of the Institute in 2000, a position he held for 2 tenures between 2000-2008. In 2010, he was appointed Adjunct Professor of Medical Microbiology at the Institute of Global Health, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University Chicago, USA.

On completion of his tenure as Director-General, he served as the Coordinator of Research Planning and Management in the Institute from 2008 to 2017 when he finally disengaged from the services of the Institute. On final disengagement in 2017, he was appointed the CEO of Human Development and Public Health Initiative (HUDPHI), a health-based NGO in Nigeria, focused on health systems strengthening and community health services. In addition, Professor Idigbe is currently engaged as a Consultant to the Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) on strengthening National Public Health Institutes in the East African Member States as well as with the African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM) on Surveillance for Antimicrobial Resistance in 14 Member States of the African Region.

Over his 40 years of research and academic pursuits, Professor Idigbe acquired adequate hands-on experience in management and administration, directing and coordinating public health research as well as conducting workforce development programs; health systems strengthening and establishment of strategic partnerships at the national and international levels. He also has ample experience working with funding agencies, governmental and non-governmental organizations at these various levels.

Professor Muhammad Hamza MBBS, FMCP, MWACP

Trustee.

Prof Hamza is a Professor of Medicine, Consultant Physician (Infectious Diseases), Director Centre for Infectious Diseases Research (CIDR), BUK, Kano.

He obtained MBBS at Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, in 2002, and completed his residency program and fellowship training in 2011.

He is a researcher with an interest in Malaria, Tuberculosis, Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Snakebite, and Neglected Tropical Diseases.

He has served as the Adult ART focal person and Chairman HIV Quality of Care Committee for Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital for over 10 years. He participated in hospital and community-based studies and provided technical assistance for the Planning, Training, Implementation, Supervision, Monitoring, and Evaluation of Nigeria’s National Immunization program. He also participated as a co-investigator in several community-based studies including “Effectiveness of Transfluthrin-Coated Inflammable-Fumes Insecticide-Paper (Rambo^TM) in the Prevention of Malaria in Kano, Nigeria” and “Health and Sickness Among Nomadic Fulani Herders: Perception, Predisposition, Occurrence, and Prevention of Malaria, Tuberculosis (TB), Diabetes Mellitus, Hypertension and Sickle cell Disease”.

Prof Hamza collaborated with his colleagues to conduct studies to determine the pathophysiology of venom-induced consumptive coagulopathy among victims of carpet viper bites in Gombe state, Nigeria and explored the prevalence of HIV-associated dementia (HAD) in Kano North West Nigeria. He also collaborates with other researchers to publish several peer-reviewed papers. He took part in caring for and managing patients with COVID-19 during the last pandemic.

Dr. Amha Kebede

Trustee

Dr. Amha Kebede is a public health professional with a biomedical sciences specialization with over 25 years of experience in public health research and leadership. He has direct experience leading the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI), coordinating and directing programs in capacity development, and establishing national, regional, and international strategic partnerships. He has published over seventy-six scientific articles in reputable international and local peer-reviewed journals.

He has extensive experience working with national and international organizations, as well as funding agencies. He has served and continues to serve on the boards of numerous international and national organizations. In addition, he has served as Project Lead for the African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM). He is currently a Senior Advisor to both the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Armauer Hansen Research Institute (AHRI) in Ethiopia.

Professor William Ampofo, PhD

Trustee

Professor William Kwabena Ampofo is an academician and a senior researcher affiliated with the University of Ghana and the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, where he has made significant contributions to the fields of infectious diseases and public health. His extensive career reflects a commitment to advancing medical research in Ghana and beyond, particularly in the areas of viral infections and epidemiology.

Prof Ampofo is a dedicated researcher with a focus on molecular and serological investigations of viruses, and prevention of viral infections and antiviral therapy.

He led various nationwide and international public health engagements focused on influenza, HIV and emergency operations. He has also served on WHO advisory groups for influenza including global influenza vaccine production, immunization and pandemic influenza preparedness. He is currently Head of the Virology Department at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR), College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana.

DAVID ODIWO FCA

Executive Secretary

Principal Partner, David commenced his accounting career as an audit trainee in Anjous, Uku, Eweka and Co Chartered Accountants Benin City in 1983, he worked with S.S. Afemikhe and Co Chartered Accountants, Lagos from 1988 to 1990. Qualified as a Chartered Accountant (Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria) in 1991 and joined Guinness Nigeria Plc as an Internal Auditor.He Worked with Commercial Trust bank Limited from 1992 to 1993 as an Internal Auditor and Operations Manager from 1994 to 1998 in the bank’s Onitsha Branch. He also worked as a Consultant for Deo–Tseena Consulting and was General Manager Finance and Investments, Securities Trading & Investments Limited before becoming the principal partner of David Odiwo and Co (Chartered Accountants).

He has over twenty years post qualification experience spanning Auditing, Consultancy, Taxation, Banking and financial services. His experience spans Auditing of Major companies as well as consulting in diverse sectors of the Nigerian economy such as value for money audits for major companies in the oil and gas industry as well as firms in the capital market. David holds an HND in accountancy from Auchi Polytechnic, Auchi. Edo state and is currently a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and an associate member of the Business Recovery and Insolvency Practitioners Association of Nigeria (BRIPAN).

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Our journey started in 2013 when the pharmaceutical giant, Pfizer Inc. established the center for the Kano State Government to conduct Bio-medical (and Healthcare) Research with focus on communicable and non-communicable diseases of public Health importance in Nigeria and the African continent

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Board of Trustees.

Professor Aliyu Abdu MBBS,MD, PhD, MSc,FMCP,MWACP,

Dr. Ibrahim Musa Idris ,MBBS, FMCPath, MPH Epid ,MSCR

Professor Hadiza Saidu MBBS, FWACP

PROFESSOR EMMANUEL ONI IDIGBE, Ph.D.

Professor Muhammad Hamza MBBS, FMCP, MWACP

Dr. Amha Kebede

Professor William Ampofo, PhD

DAVID ODIWO FCA

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