The IFFS Elects First Black Secretary General, Nigeria’s Oladapo Ashiru
Prof Oladapo Ashiru, the President of the Academy of Medicine Specialities of Nigeria, has been elected as the first black Secretary-General of the Executive Council of the International Federation of Fertility Societies, IFFS, for the 2022 to the 2025 period. Professor Ashiru, who had also been the President of the Africa Reproductive Care Society has been the IFFS Assistant Secretary-General since 2019. The IFFS is the world body on fertility and a non-state organization in an official relationship with the World Health Organisation, WHO.
Being an experienced professor of Anatomy, Consultant reproductive endocrinologist, as well as the co-pioneer of In Vitro Fertilisation, IVF, in Nigeria, he was elected at the General Assembly of the World Fertility Congress in Athens, Greece.
The new Executive leadership team has Dr. Edgar Mocanu from the United Kingdom as President, with Prof Marcus Holton from Argentina as President-elect. Others are Dr. Eileen Malano (Philippines), Assistant Secretary-General; Dr. Rishma Pai (India), Treasurer; Dr. Lana Retchitsky (USA), Assistant Treasurer, and Prof Linda Guidice (USA) Immediate past President. The Special Envoy for International relations is Dr. Zi Jiang Chen of China.
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In a statement, professor Ashiru explained that the IFFS World Congress provided a unique platform for attendees to gather, learn and discuss any and all current advances in reproductive health, the access to fertility care, and reproductive rights across the globe, as well as engage the patient from their perspective. He stated that the focus of the new executive team would be on improved reproductive health throughout the globe.
“The Nigeria Association of Fertility and Reproductive Health has been an active member of IFFS since 1986, and is also a Country member of the International Executive Board represented by its current President Dr Ibrahim Wada.”
Based on the theme for the 24th World Congress which was: “Exploring New Horizons in Fertility Care”, the new Secretary-General, Ashiru, said that the renowned international faculty will now engage attendees, while the free communications and poster sessions would offer the opportunity to share cutting-edge research and explore new ideas.
“The IFFS is a long-standing global organization representing National Fertility Societies since 1968. We represent over 65 UN country-specific Fertility Societies that, in the aggregate, encompass an estimated 50,000 physicians and reproduction medicine specialists worldwide, including various healthcare professionals,” Ashiru stated.
