Oladipo Ogunlesi

Theophilus Oladipo Ogunlesi (12 July 1923 – 19 January 2023) was a Nigerian academic and medical doctor recognized as the first professor of medicine in Nigeria. Born in Sagamu, Ogun State, Ogunlesi began his education at St. Paul Primary School, Sagamu, before attending CMS Grammar School, Lagos, where he obtained his secondary school certificate in 1940. He continued his studies at Yaba Higher College, for pre-medical and medical training. He later attended the University of London and University of Minnesota where he obtained his postgraduate degrees.

Ogunlesi returned to Nigeria and joined the Western Nigeria Civil Service, serving as a medical officer from 1950 to 1956. In 1961, he became a lecturer at the University of Ibadan (UI), where he made history four years later by becoming the first Nigerian professor of medicine. He played a key role in the development of medical education in Nigeria, serving as the pioneer head of the University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan, and the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria.

During his career, Ogunlesi was a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of London and the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. He was elected as a fellow of the Association of Physicians of Nigeria and International Society for Hypertension. Ogunlesi's work was beyond research and medicine, it also involved education and mentorship. He authored many books and papers, supervised graduate students and some of them are Isaac Folorunso Adewole, Kayode Oshuntokun, and Yombo Awojobi.