The Nigerian Healthcare System

Joseph Abiodun Balogun, PT, PhD, FACSM, FNSP, FAS, FIMC, FRSPH, FAcadMedS, is the former Dean and Distinguished Professor in the College of Health Sciences at Chicago State University (CSU), Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is also an Emeritus Professor of Physiotherapy, and Associate Director of Research Development and Innovation at the University of Medical Sciences, Ondo City, Nigeria, and Visiting Professor/Program Consultant at the Centre of Excellence in Reproductive Health Innovation, University of Benin, Nigeria. He is the founder and President/CEO of Joseph Rehabilitation Center, a social service organization at Tinley Park, Illinois, USA, that provides community-integrated living arrangement services for adults with disabilities.  Professor Balogun obtained the Bachelor of Science (Honors) degree in Physiotherapy in 1977 from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. He earned his Master's degree in Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy (1981) and PhD in ExercisePhysiology (Cardiac Rehabilitation) with a Minor in Research Methodology from the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania in 1985. He has held full-time and visiting faculty and administrative positions at various universities around the world – Russell Sage College, Troy, New York; Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Nigeria; University of Florida, Gainesville; Texas Woman's University, Houston; State University of New York Health Science Center at Brooklyn (SUNY-HSCB); Barry University, Florida; and King Saud University, Saudi Arabia. He served for 13 years (1999 - 2013) at CSU as Dean of the College of Health Sciences. He established seven academic programs and the HIV/AIDS Research and Policy Institute to address the disproportionate incidence and complex burdens of HIV/AIDS in minority populations. He also served for six years as Chairman of the Physical Therapy Program (1993–1999) and Associate Dean for Student Academic Affairs (1994–1999) at SUNY-HSCB; Consultant Physiotherapist (1988–1991) and Vice-Dean in the Faculty of Health Sciences at OAU (1990–1991). Professor Balogun has contributed to Physical Therapy, Cardiovascular Epidemiology, Ergonomics, and HIV Behavioral Research. He has authored six books, 18 book chapters, monographs, technical compendia, 170 full articles, and 24 peer-reviewed conference abstracts and proceedings. In 2015, he delivered Christopher Ajao's keynote speech at the 55th Annual Conference of the Nigeria Society of Physiotherapy. In 2017, he presented the second Distinguished University Guest Lecture at the University of Medical Sciences, Ondo City, Nigeria, and in 2021 delivered the keynote speech at the inaugural conference of the International Association of Nigerian Physical Therapists.  Professor Balogun is the Deputy Editor of the African Journal of Reproductive Health and serves on the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Physiotherapy Theory and Practice, Journal of the Nigeria Society of Physiotherapy, Kanem Journal of Medical Sciences, and International University of Sarajevo (IUS) Law Journal. He also serves as a Consultant and Advisory Board Member at the Women's Health and Action Research Centre (WHARC), Benin City, Nigeria. He has received over a dozen major service awards. In 2003, he received the J. Warren Perry Distinguished Author's Award by the Journal of Allied Health and was conferred in 2018 with the Distinguished Decorated Affiliate of the American Health Council. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Medicine Specialties (FAcadMedS), Royal Society for Public Health (FRSPH), Institute of Management Consultants (FIMC), Academy of Science (FAS), Nigeria Society of Physiotherapy (FNSP), and the American College of Sports Medicine (FACSM). Professor Balogun's most recent book includes Healthcare Education in Nigeria: Evolutions and Emerging Paradigms (Routledge, 2020), Healthcare Professions in Nigeria: An Interdisciplinary Analysis (Palgrave Macmillan, 2021) and Contemporary Obstetrics and Gynecology for Developing Countries (Springer Nature, 2021).