Adeniran Ariyo expresses gratitude to UI College of Medicine North America Chapter
By Ojo Ademilua
A reknown world heart Surgeon, Dr Abraham Ariyo has expressed appreciation to members of the University of Ibadan College of Medicine, North America Chapter
The chapter is hub to some of the world’s finest medical professionals
Dr Ariyo is the President of the Ibadan College of Medicine Alumni Association in North America
In a statement made available to Irohinoodua Dr Adeniran Ariyo on behalf of the Executive Committee, thanked everyone who attended the just concluded Annual General Meeting (A.G.M.) held on June 23, 2023, in New York City, New York.
He said “Your presence and support made a difference. By all accounts, it’s our most successful and most attended A.G.M. in our history.”
Speaking further je said “First, I thank our Executives – an excellent team! You worked long hours on weekly meetings and made telephone calls; solicited adverts and sponsors; liaised with D.J., photographer, videographer, and Audio-Visual team; interfaced with our core Administrative team and Dr. Modupe Sokunbi, who designed the much-talked-about 2023, ICOMAA-NA Brochure. Thank you all. All the glory belongs to you – The Executives.”
The Chapter is one of the biggest of the ancient schools Diaspora units
He also thanked luminaries that graced the occasion in person and brought laurel to the event.
The list included but not limited to Board of Trustees (Prof A.O.K. Johnson, Prof Famuyiwa, and Prof Akinboboye); our Worldwide President, Prof Otolorin; Our Provost, Prof Omigbodun; Our Deputy Provost, Prof Adeniyi; our UCH-CMD, Prof Otegbayo; our former President and Philanthropist, Dr. Abib Olamitoye; IMSG-representative and the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Global Medicine, Mr. Funso Adedeji, Consultant Surgeon in the United Kingdom.
He appreciated everyone that came saying they were Distinguished Physicians, Surgeons, Physicians-Executives, Innovators, and Clinicians.
“We thank our Distinguished Alumnus Speaker, Dr. Kola Olofinboba, of the class of 1989. He took us down memory lane from his humble beginning in Ibadan to the all-powerful Boardroom of Wall Street. He described a challenging journey loaded with the ups and downs of life, plowing through with blood, sweat, and tears. He emphasized the value of mentorship and sponsorship that provided a steady wind on his back and supplied a guiding light for him in his darkest hours as he blazed through the lonely terrain of his trail. He illuminated a fascinating story of endurance and perseverance that led him to the triumphant top of the mountain of success called Wall Street. Imagine a little boy born in our hospital (U.C.H.) who grew up as a regular guy in Ibadan and now, along with his partners, manages over 10.8 billion dollars. Yet, he’s quiet, humble, easy to get along with, and no boasting. He has been married to Trudy (Anesthesiologist) for decades, and they are blessed with a Princeton-trained Computer Scientist daughter who works for Microsoft. At the end of his speech, he received a thunderous standing ovation and a Prestigious 2023 Distinguished Award”
He said quoting Dr. Olamitoye, ICOMAA-NA has become the ‘Center of Gravity’ for our College. The Provost spoke passionately about the Hostel Fund, a major project that our College’s accreditation is tied to, and pleaded for more donations as we are now at 45% of the fundraising efforts. First, she introduced, praised, and thanked Dr. Philip Ozuah (85), a major donor who received a massive standing ovation and a Prestigious Provost Award.
Adeniran Ariyo said the Provost then recognized individuals or couples who were present and had donated over $12,000 (Platinum) to this vital project. Platinum Award recipients included Dr. Modupe Sokunbi (82) and Dr. Dolamu Sokunbi (81); Dr. (Mrs) Akinboboye (87) and Prof Akinboboye (84); Dr. Olanrewaju Rasaq Abu (84); and my humble self (Dr. Abraham Ariyo, 88).
He appreciated Dr. Titi Britto (86), a dedicated Alumnus who donated $250 monthly along with seven others, emphasized the importance of contributing to our College’s endowment as a token of our appreciation and drew a parallel analogy to premier institutions like Harvard, Yale, and Oxford endowment funds. Mr. Adedeji solicited and advocated for many of our members to publish in the Journal of Global Medicine, where many of us are already Contributing Editors.
“We thank our hosts, Dr. (Mrs) and Professor Akinboboye of New York, for finding, engaging, and delivering the event sponsor, Novo Nordisk. You gave us a template we can use next time at the A.G.M. that involves engaging local members and pharmaceutical companies. We thank Novo Nordisk for their support and enthusiastically look forward to working with them in the future. The Scientific Session Speaker, Jonas Liebowitz, M.D., gave an important lecture from which our audience gained insightful and valuable knowledge. We will need more of these scientific speakers moving forward.”
According to him the 2023 meeting was a fantastic A.G.M saying that by far the Alumni Association remains the best and the pacesetter among all the Nigerian Medical School Alumni Associations.
He said the 2024 A.G.M. will be in Anaheim, CA. We need more participation. Specifically, we seek more scientific speakers, advertisers, and event sponsors for 2024. Please think of what you can do for our College; she needs you more than ever.
“We look forward to a ‘next level’ meeting and more success for ICOMAA-NA and our College of Medicine”he added
