Get Guardian on GoogleUnited States-based Nigerian physician, Prof. Olurotimi John Badero, has continued to strengthen Nigeria’s healthcare sector through medical innovation, specialist training and mentorship amid concerns over brain drain in the country’s health sector.
Badero, who is recognised as the world’s first and only board-certified interventional cardio-nephrologist, currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Cardiac Renal & Vascular Associates in Jackson, Mississippi, United States.
Since 2023, the medical expert has also been working with Iwosan Lagoon Hospitals in Lagos as the Clinical Head and Director of the Interventional Cardiology Programme and Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory.
According to the institution, Badero has helped to expand interventional cardiovascular and peripheral endovascular services in Nigeria, increasing access to specialised procedures that were previously limited within the country.
As Nigeria’s first Professor of Cardio-Nephrology, he has led several medical breakthroughs, including performing the nation’s first selective renal angiogram and the first endovascular limb salvage revascularisation for patients suffering from peripheral artery disease and critical limb ischaemia.
He has also contributed to the identification and publication of new cardiovascular cases in Nigeria, helping to improve local clinical research and healthcare standards.
In 2025, the University of Lagos appointed him Distinguished Fellow and Visiting Professor of Medicine.
Through the appointment, he mentors medical students and resident doctors, supports research collaborations and promotes medical training aligned with international standards.
Speaking on the need to address medical brain drain in Nigeria, Badero said the focus should be on building systems that encourage continuous knowledge transfer.
“Reversing brain drain is not just about bringing people back; it is about creating systems where knowledge flows consistently into local institutions. When global expertise is intentionally applied within Nigeria, we begin to see real, measurable change,” he said.
A native of Isonyin in Ogun State, Badero is celebrated as the first Professor of Medicine from the community.
