Sylvanus Okogbenin

Prof. Sylvanus Okogbenin is a Nigerian expert in clinical trial and research of infectious diseases especially in Pregnant women. He has over 25 years’ experience of active participation in clinical trials and research. His work has helped to define the WHO and Nigerian National guidelines for management of Lassa fever in pregnant women.

He is a professor of Obstetrics and gynaecology, with specialized training in infectious disease epidemiology and advanced Clinical trials Management.

He has led several infectious outbreak responses in West Africa and Nigeria during the Ebola and Covid 19 pandemic. 

He has served as the Chief Medical Director/ Chief Executive Officer, Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, between 2015 and 2023. He is currently the Chairman of the Technical working group of the Institute of Viral Haemorrhagic Fevers and Emergent Pathogens where he helps shape policy direction.

Sylvanus is currently chairing and serving in many World Health Organization committees and meetings, helping to shape research and developmental roadmaps for countermeasures to infectious disease outbreaks. He is currently a WHO expert on Lassa fever, member of WHO committee to prioritize disease of Pandemic and epidemic threat, WHO arena virus committee. He is also a consultant to several international bodies including the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) South Korea and the Benhard notch institute of tropical medicine, Germany.

In his current projects, he is working as the Principal Investigator in the INTEGRATE Consortium, A global alliance against Lassa that seeks for new therapeutics against Lassa disease. He is also the Principal Investigator in the IAVI phase 2b Lassa Vaccine trial, Ladex study and Safari Study.