Dr. Folorunso’s journey from a modest upbringing through parents and a family that instill untainted love and raise God-fearing children has paved the way for his academic and career success in becoming a global healthcare leader. His background and educational environments have shaped his thirst for academic excellence without undermining morals, social justice, and empathy. Dr. Folorunso’s new academic feat in the Global Healthcare Leadership programme is nothing short of extraordinary. His life story is a testament to the power of determination, resilience, and compassion. Dr. Folorunso’s academic trajectory serves as an inspiration to millions of dreamers in Nigeria and around the world.
“All our dreams can come true; if we have the courage to pursue them.” – Walt Disney.
Dr. Folorunso hails from Ikereku in Akinyele Local Government Area, Oyo. He is the second child of the family. He had his primary and secondary education at Mayflower Junior School and Mayflower School, Ikenne, Ogun State. He proceeded to the University of Ibadan to study Medicine and Surgery and earned a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) from the prestigious University of Ibadan.
After his compulsory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Dr. Folorunso worked as a medical doctor in Oyo and Nasarawa States and later moved to public health programming with Solina Group, Abuja. Dr. Folorunso’s quest for more knowledge took him to University College London (UCL), where he earned a Master’s Degree (MSc) in Global Health & Development.
Beyond Nigeria, Dr. Folorunso worked with Gavi Alliance, Geneva, where he led and shaped health systems immunization strength for middle-income countries, including a $250 million immunization cold chain equipment platform intervention. Dr. Folorunso later joined UNICEF Supply Headquarters, Denmark, where he led optimization efforts to improve the design and efficiency of multiple country programmes’ delivery of vaccines and other products to underserved communities.
To enhance his management skills, Dr. Folorunso also earned a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) with a distinction from Warwick Business School (WBS), UK. Concerned about the current decline in global healthcare performance, precipitated in its strongest forms by the COVID-19 pandemic and reduced official development assistance (ODA), Dr. Folorunso took another academic journey to Oxford University, where he graduated with a distinction in MSc in Global Healthcare Leadership.
Dr. Folorunso currently works with UNICEF Headquarters, Geneva, as a global lead for vaccine management, ensuring that systems are in place to deliver immunization services effectively and equitably to all children globally, irrespective of where they are. Dr. Folorunso’s experience in Oxford University has been nothing short of transformative and revolutionary, because it exposed his mind to different perspectives and gave him tools that are needed for the complex and rapidly changing landscape in global healthcare.
In terms of diversity, the programme afforded Dr. Folorunso the opportunity to engage with the mind-blowing history of Oxford University, value scholarship, and collaboration. As a change agent and global healthcare leader, Dr. Folorunso has benefited from the fusion of skills, expertise, faculty, and scholarship between the Business School and Primary Healthcare Sciences.
As a strong believer in service to humanity, Dr. Folorunso currently leads a social enterprise initiative supporting countries such as Malawi, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Zambia, and The Gambia to empower young people in small and medium-scale enterprises with transport assets, which they use to deliver vaccines, saving health workers’ time and increasing health delivery. Through this novel initiative, Dr. Folorunso has not only empowered youths but has also created jobs for countless individuals, which has helped to reduce the high NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) burden while delivering essential health services to the most vulnerable.
