The Alumni Association of the University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED), Ondo, is set to host the maiden Olusegun Mimiko Distinguished Alumni Lecture, in a landmark initiative aimed at celebrating the vision of the university’s founder while stimulating fresh conversations on the future of healthcare, innovation and equity.
The Olusegun Mimiko Distinguished Alumni Lecture, scheduled for October 3rd 2026, has as its theme, “Advancing Health Equity and Innovation: The Legacy of a Caring Heart.” The keynote speaker is the pioneer Vice-Chancellor of the university, Professor Friday Okonofua, who led the institution during its formative years.
The event is expected to bring together members of the university community, alumni, healthcare professionals, policymakers, academics and other stakeholders to reflect on the evolution of UNIMED and the continuing relevance of its founding ideals.
According to the President of the UNIMED Alumni Association, Adedayo Adesida, the lecture is not merely an alumni gathering but an opportunity to preserve the history of the institution and reconnect successive generations with the vision that gave birth to the university.
Adesida said the association considered it important to institutionalise a lecture in honour of Dr. Olusegun Mimiko because his vision went beyond establishing another university.
“Dr. Olusegun Mimiko did not just build a university; he planted a tree so that a whole generation of medical and science professionals could sit in its shade,” he said.
He explained that the choice of the theme was deliberate, noting that it captures the connection between the founder’s vision of people-centred healthcare and the contemporary need to deploy innovation and technology to address inequalities in access to healthcare.
The Alumni President said the association also regarded the lecture as an avenue for alumni to contribute meaningfully to the continued development of their alma mater.
“For us as alumni, celebrating the founder is also about accepting the responsibility to sustain the values upon which UNIMED was established. The best way to honour that legacy is to ensure that the institution continues to produce professionals, ideas and innovations that improve lives,” Adesida said.
The Vice-Chancellor of UNIMED, Professor Ebunoluwa Aderonke Adejuyigbe, said the event was significant because it provided an opportunity for the university community to reflect on the institution’s origins while looking towards its future.
She described the theme as a reflection of the “caring heart” behind the establishment of UNIMED, stressing that the university’s mandate extends beyond the classroom to research, community service and the transformation of healthcare delivery.
According to her, the vision behind the university remains relevant to the institution’s current drive to achieve excellence in teaching, research, innovation and community impact.
“It is important for every generation to understand where an institution comes from and the vision that brought it into existence. Celebrating our founder is therefore not simply about looking back; it is about drawing inspiration from that vision as we build the UNIMED of the future,” the Vice-Chancellor said.
Professor Adejuyigbe added that the university would continue to leverage technology and innovation in advancing its global visibility and impact. “The founding vision was ambitious. Our responsibility today is to build on that foundation, strengthen excellence in teaching and research, expand our impact on communities and position UNIMED as an institution whose contributions to health and medical education resonate nationally and internationally,” she said.
The Olusegun Mimiko Distinguished Alumni Lecture therefore comes against the background of a university seeking to preserve its founding ideals while responding to emerging challenges in healthcare and medical education.
For the Alumni Association, the choice of Professor Okonofua as keynote speaker also carries symbolic significance, as he was not only the university’s pioneer Vice-Chancellor but one of the principal figures involved in translating the founding vision into an operational academic institution.
Adesida said the association hoped the lecture would become a major intellectual and institutional platform that would continue from year to year.
“We want this lecture to become part of the identity of UNIMED. It should be a platform where great minds interrogate the challenges facing healthcare, propose innovative solutions and inspire the next generation of medical and health professionals,” he said.
The Vice-Chancellor similarly expressed the hope that the event would strengthen the bond between the university and its alumni while encouraging a culture of service and innovation.
She said the university would continue to draw strength from its history while remaining focused on building an institution capable of making meaningful contributions to healthcare in Nigeria and beyond.
The inaugural lecture is consequently expected to serve both as a celebration of Dr. Olusegun Mimiko’s founding vision and as a forward-looking intellectual engagement on how health institutions can deploy innovation, research and human capital to advance equitable healthcare delivery.
The event, the organisers said, is also an opportunity for the UNIMED community to honour its past, engage the present and articulate a future consistent with the ideals upon which the university was founded.
Advertisement
