UNILORIN hosts Nigeria’s first student-led Neurosurgery Conference

By Demola Akinyemi, Ilorin

About 2,000 medical students and health professionals from different parts of the world gathered at the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) for the maiden Mission: BRAIN Ilorin Conference to discuss gaps in brain health.

Organised by Mission: BRAIN Ilorin, a student organisation at UNILORIN, the two-day event created a platform for participants to exchange ideas on the science, ethics, and challenges of brain health and neurosurgery, with particular emphasis on underserved communities in Nigeria.

The conference, themed “Bridging Gaps: Advancing Brain Health Through Science, Ethics and Innovation” featured keynote addresses, expert-led sessions, panel discussions, research presentations, clinical skills training, and competitions among different categories of students.

The event, which was the first student-led neurosurgery conference in Nigeria, was supported by the Nigerian Academy of Neurological Surgeons (NANS), the Neuroscience Society of Nigeria (NSNS) and the Department of Surgery, University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH). It began with a pre-conference clinical skills lab where over 100 participants were trained on basic life support skills, including CPR, airway management, and emergency care for traumatic brain injury.

In his keynote address, Prof. Femi Bankole, consultant neurosurgeon at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), discussed the complexities of brain health and called for interdisciplinary synergy to address brain health challenges. “No single person, discipline, or idea can solve the puzzle of brain health in isolation,” he said.

Bankole, who lamented the persistent data gap in neuroscience research in Africa, stressed that the gap must be addressed not only with technical solutions but also with ethical vigilance.

Highlighting the dangers of AI diagnostic models trained exclusively on Western datasets, the neurosurgeon warned of the risk of misdiagnosis in African patients unless local data and ethical standards are incorporated into the innovation.

Also speaking, Professor Olayide Agodirin, Head of Surgery at the University of Ilorin, introduced participants to applications of machine learning in neurology, from improved diagnostic accuracy to preventative modelling.

Earlier in his address, the President of mission:BRAIN Ilorin, Mubarak Mustapha, who is a 400L medical student of UNILORIN, said the conference was convened as part of efforts to strengthen brain health in Nigeria.

“We are proud to host the first-ever student-led neurosurgery conference in Nigeria. This gathering has brought together surgeons, scientists, innovators, and young learners under one roof to discuss issues relating to brain health, facilitate transfer of knowledge and skills, and forge connections among professionals and students, with the aim of strengthening brain health in Nigeria,” he stated.

Mustapha disclosed that mission:BRAIN Ilorin was formed in 2023 and is affiliated with Mission:Brain Foundation, a global organisation that is dedicated to expanding access to neurosurgical care worldwide through innovative training programmes, research groups, and global partnerships.

“Our chapter is dedicated to raising awareness about neurological disorders and promoting informed health decisions in communities where such conditions are often attributed to spiritual causes.

“Some of our key initiatives include a World Epilepsy Day outreach, during which we educated over 1,000 people on seizure management and debunked common myths about epilepsy. We also launched CranioGuard Mission, an initiative aimed at preventing spinal and brain injuries,” he said.

Mustapha added that the activities of his chapter have earned it recognition and awards from the global mission:BRAIN Foundation. “We have received awards in three categories: Service and Compassion, Academic Leadership, and Healing Hands. These awards are in recognition of the transformative impact of our activities on medical students, patients, and local communities over the past year.”

The highlight of the conference was the unveiling of the locally developed ‘Global Surgery Box NG,’ a compact, cost-effective training toolkit developed by the UNILORIN Cardiothoracic Surgery Interest Group (UCTSIG) for suturing skills in resource-limited environments.

The event also witnessed the unveiling of the Ilorin NeuroJournal, a publication of mission:BRAIN Ilorin that received submissions from 10 countries across 5 continents globally.

Prizes were also presented to winners of the abstract presentation for university students, the essay competition for secondary school students, and the Neurovation Challenge, a competition that tested how far student-led solutions can go in addressing gaps in neurological healthcare.

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