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Head of Department

Dr. S. Ademola

BACKGROUND

The department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery has since the commencement of the Department of Surgery of the University College Hospital, Ibadan, passed through peak and plateau periods. This has been largely due to the small number of plastic surgeons available to service the department. Thankfully, the department has not experienced any significant setback because of the concerted efforts of the founding fathers of the department of Surgery and the past heads of the department. As was the case with other clinical departments, the department of surgery was housed at the Adeoyo hospital during the construction of the University College Hospital at its present permanent site. The late Prof. Oritsejolomi Thomas, along with Prof. B.M. Jolly (who was the first head of the Surgery Department) and Prof. W.W. Davey were among the staff of the department in the 1950s. Prof. Oritsejolomi Thomas later moved to Lagos where he was appointed Vice Chancellor. When Michael N. Tempest arrived to become the first plastic surgeon to practice as a member of staff in Nigeria in 1962, hopes arose for the thousands of Nigerians born with congenital anomalies and those that had sustained burn injuries and were awaiting reconstruction. Although he did not stay for many years in Ibadan, he commenced the organization of the Unit and wrote a book used by medical students in the Hospital in the sixties. Part of his thesis on cancrum oris was published in the British Journal of Plastic Surgery in 1969. His contributions to Plastic surgery was recognized by the presidency of the British Association of Plastic Surgery in 1984. The response of Mr. Tempest to a referral sent to him shortly before he returned to the United Kingdom was one of the things that prompted Joseph Olatunde Oluwasanmi to travel abroad to specialize in plastic surgery. Dr. J.O. Oluwasanmi who obtained his FRCS in 1964, was appointed Senior Registrar in the department of surgery. In the same year, Dr. Oluwasanmi applied for a Smith and Nephews Fellowship which if granted would enable him to train in some plastic surgery units in the United Kingdom in 1965. In his recommendation letter, the then head of surgery, Prof. V. Anoma Ngu wrote that the adjudicators of the Fellowship would be doing Nigeria an honour if Dr. Oluwasanmi could be given the chance to study abroad. The reply came within a few weeks and Dr. Oluwasanmi shared the following year between the plastic surgery unit at Broxburn, West Lothian, Glasgow Scotland (under Mr. Wallace), at Newcastle upon Tyne in North East England at the Hammersmith Hospital under Professor Calnan and at East Grinstead. The experience of Dr. Oluwasanmi, enabled him to return as the first indigenous consultant of Plastic and Maxillofacial surgery and he was jointly appointed by the Medical School as a Lecturer and the University College Hospital in January, 1967 as a surgeon. He was also appointed as a Lieutenant Colonel in1968 to help in the management of war casualties at the Midwestern front during the Nigerian Civil war. He became a senior lecturer in 1970. Dr. Oluwasanmi later became a Professor in October, 1973. By the time Prof. Oluwasanmi retired (voluntarily) as head of the Surgery department in 1979, a plastic surgery unit had been established. This Unit was furnished with 3 adult beds in South East One Ward, 3 female adult beds in South West One Ward, 2 beds (for children) on the South East Two Ward as well as a Dental Laboratory. Dr. Ferdinand Ofodile who obtained a Diplomate of the American Board of Plastic Surgery in 1976, joined the Consultant staff in 1977. He received his residency training at the Harlem Hospital Center and at the Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, New York, USA. He became a Senior Lecturer in 1979 when he took over as head of the Unit and maintained the peak of the division until his departure for the USA in 1982. Before he left, Dr. Chika Ogbonna who received specialist training in Italy in plastic surgery, had joined as a Senior Registrar. The exit of Dr. Ferdinand Ofodile from the Unit left a vacuum brought about by the unavailability of any Consultant plastic surgeon in the Hospital between 1983 and 1992. During this interval, Dr. Oluwatosin joined Dr. Ogbonna as Senior Registrar in 1985. At this time, the Unit was supervised by Prof. Olurin until the period of his retirement in 1986, followed by Prof. Ope Adekunle who was temporarily transferred to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital as Chief Medical Director. Apart from undertaking tutelage under the consultants at Ibadan, Dr. Oluwatosin’s training was supervised by Consultants in Lagos namely Prof. Sowemimo, Dr. Ademiluyi and Mr. Oyeneyin FRCS, before he transferred to the United Kingdom in 1987 for further training at the Shotley Bridge General Hospital, Manor Hospital, now George Elliot Hospital, Nuneaton at West Midland Nuneaton Merseyside and at the Merseyside Regional Burns and Plastic Surgery Center. Dr. Oluwatosin’s (now Prof) interest in reconstructive surgery was aroused while at the last regional center. His dissertation for the certificate of the Royal College of Surgeons was on the use of arterialised venous flap in resurfacing and revascularisation of the finger. After the exit of the two senior registrars, Prof. Oluwasanmi was approached by the Chief Medical Director, Prof. B.O. Osuntokun in 1989 to offer his service as a visiting consultant to which he consented (to enable him to continue the training of medical students, resident doctors and as well manage patients). This continued till 1991. Afterwards, Dr. L.I. Okeke Consultant Urologist under the then head of surgery, Prof. O.G. Ajao, supervised the Unit. Following the arrival of a consultant plastic surgeon in 1992, there were three additional beds in the South East One Ward for adult males and three in the South West One Ward for adult females. The movement of neurosurgical and cardiothoracic cases to the neurosciences buildings brought about the availability of these beds. The last decade of the 20th century, witnessed major changes particularly in the area of specialist training within the Unit. The first free tissue transfer in the Unit, was performed in 1993 on a lady in her 20s who had a modified radical mastectomy for a breast sarcoma and had immediate transverse rectus abdominis musculocutaneous free flap for breast reconstruction. The first locally trained plastic surgeon was Squadron Leader, Bayo Bolajoko. His success encouraged more resident doctors to take on plastic surgery as their specialty of choice and in the following years, Drs. Olabanji, Ademola Abikoye (Mrs.) Tahir and Adigun, followed suit. Thus, the Unit has through the completion of the training of these resident doctors, assisted in the establishment of new plastic surgery units in other teaching hospitals especially in Ilorin, Ile-Ife and Maiduguri. Resident doctors from other areas of specialty such as Ophthalmology, as well as Otorhinolaryngology from the UCH and other teaching hospitals also rotate through the Unit. The first flap and microvascular surgery course in the West African sub-region, was hosted by the Unit in conjunction with the Department of Anatomy of the University of Ibadan in April, 1995. It was attended by Resident doctors and Consultants in Orthopaedics & Trauma, ENT, Maxillofacial Surgery, and General Surgery. The course which holds biennially, includes intensive lecture content and extensive practical sessions on cadavers, simulating vessel kits, small animal microvascular practice and large animal perforator flap practice. The course facilitators are often from within and outside the West African sub-region and they include Plastic surgeons, and Consultants from the fields of Dentistry, ENT, Neurosurgery, Orthopaedics, Ophthalmology and Anaesthesia. In January, 2011, the Burns Unit commenced the admission of cases. The Burns Unit is a 12-bedded ward, which consists (at present) only of minimal facilities including a hoist, and a custom fabricated bath with heater. The Unit has a dedicated nursing staff three of which have the certificate of training in burns and plastic nursing from the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Enugu in conjunction with the Nigeria Association of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeons. The Board of Management of the University College Hospital, Ibadan, approved at its September, 2011 meeting for the division of Plastic Surgery to become the Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery. In addition to treating patients, the department trains resident doctors from within and outside the country. Below are the details of the headship of the department from its establishment as a Unit till its evolution into a department.

S/NNamePeriod of Headship
1.Michael N. Tempest1962-1964
2.Joseph Olatunde Oluwasanmi1967-1980
3.Ferdinand Ofodile1980-1983
4.Chika Ogbonna1983-1985
5.Odunayo M. Oluwatosin1992-2020
6.Dr. S. Ademola2020-till present

Some of the recorded achievements of the Department over the years include:

  • Instituting DERMAJET, an intrascar gun injection method combining the use of xylocaine, triamcinolone, and hyaluronidase for treatment of keloids in the seventies.
  • Organization of biennial micro-vascular and free tissue transfer course for surgical specialties
  • The Department has the topmost Burns Unit in the country with facilities for intensive management of burns including inhalation injury.
  • The department has collaborated with the University of Connecticut, and LAUTECH, Ogbomosho in the genetic study of keloids.
  • Translational research collaboration with the Faculty of Technology in the University of Ibadan and the Northwestern University, Chicago on different tools particularly in the management of burns
General Plastic Surgery ClinicGeneral ward rounds
Cleft care ClinicTrauma theatres
Dermato-Plastic clinicOut Patient theatres
Burn Unit roundsGeneral Plastic Surgery and collaborative theatre sessions

BURN UNIT

Dr. Ayodele O. Iyun , Dr. Samuel A. Ademola ,Dr. Olayinka A. Olawoye

WOUND MANAGEMENT UNIT

Dr. Samuel A. Ademola,  Dr. Ayodele O. Iyun

BREAST AND COSMETIC SURGERY UNIT

Dr. Olayinka A. Olawoye , Dr. Samuel A. Ademola,  Dr. Afieharo I. Michael,  Dr. Adeyinka Ademola,  Mr. Temidayo Ogundiran

HAND AND MICROSURGERY UNIT

Prof. Odunayo M. Oluwatosin , Dr. Afieharo I. Michael  , Dr. Olayinka A. Olawoye

CRANIOFACIAL, HEAD AND NECK SURGERY UNIT

Dr. Afieharo I. Michael , Dr. Adeola A. Olusanya

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