About 2,000 medical students and health professionals gathered at the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) for the maiden Mission: BRAIN Ilorin Conference, focused on advancing brain health and neurosurgery in underserved communities.
The two-day event, themed “Bridging Gaps: Advancing Brain Health Through Science, Ethics and Innovation,” featured keynote lectures, panel sessions, research presentations, and clinical skills training. It marked Nigeria’s first student-led neurosurgery conference, supported by the Nigerian Academy of Neurological Surgeons, the Neuroscience Society of Nigeria, and the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital.
In his keynote, Prof. Femi Bankole of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital highlighted data gaps in African neuroscience research and warned of the risks associated with using AI diagnostic models trained solely on Western datasets. Prof. Olayide Agodirin of the University of Ilorin discussed the growing role of machine learning in neurology.
Mubarak Mustapha, President of Mission: BRAIN Ilorin, said the conference aimed to strengthen brain health in Nigeria by connecting students and professionals. The chapter, founded in 2023, has led outreach on epilepsy awareness and injury prevention, winning international recognition.
The event also unveiled the locally developed “Global Surgery Box NG” training toolkit and the inaugural Ilorin NeuroJournal.
