By Stephen Adeleye

A Nigerian-born medical doctor and international multiple award-winning author, Dr Kennedy O. Obohwemu, has emerged winner of the ”Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition” 2022, organised by the University of Sunderland, United Kingdom.

The three-minute thesis competition is an annual competition held in more than 200 universities worldwide.

It is open to PhD students, and challenges participants to present their research in just 180 seconds, in an engaging form that can be understood by an intelligent audience with no background in the research area.

This exercise develops presentation, research and academic communication skills and supports the development of research students’ capacity to explain their work effectively.

An 80,000-word thesis would take nine hours to present.

The contestants (PhD students) have a time limit of three minutes to present their research in language appropriate to non-specialists, and with only one single presentation slide to support them.

Developed by the University of Queensland, Australia in 2008, the success of the 3MT has led to the establishment of local and national competitions in several countries.

As of 20th December 2019, there were at least 85 participating countries from every continent (apart from Antarctica) and at least 941 institutions.

The competition challenges doctoral candidates to present a compelling spoken presentation on their research topic and its significance in just three minutes.

At 100 words per minute, researchers needed to write 3 x 100-word speeches with absolute precision and present them in the form of a spoken word contest.

Since 2014 Vitae have proudly hosted the UK ®3MT competition which is the culmination of finalists from Vitae member Higher Education Institutions throughout the United Kingdom.

Active PhD and Professional Doctorate (Research) candidates who have successfully passed their confirmation milestone (including candidates whose thesis is under submission) by the date of their first presentation are eligible to participate in 3MT competitions at all levels.

Joining the rich tradition, the University of Sunderland held their 3MT contest on Friday 13th May 2022, which was open to PhD students from all nationalities, across all faculties and campuses of the university (Sunderland, London, and Hong Kong).

Multiple award-winning Nigerian writer, and Spoken Word Artist and leadership Coach, Dr. Kennedy O. Obohwemu, emerged winner of the competition by unanimous decision.

With his presentation titled, ”Childhood Vaccinations: Our Collective Responsibility’’, Dr. Kennedy swept the audience off their feet with his characteristic poise, style, elegance, and class.

Dr. Kennedy’s research focuses on parental childhood vaccine hesitancy, an increasingly important public health concern in the United Kingdom and other parts of the world.

Vaccine hesitancy is associated with a decrease in vaccine coverage and an increase in vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks and epidemics.
Many studies have focused on understanding and defining the relatively new socio-medical term, vaccine hesitancy; few have attempted to measure the prevalence of vaccine hesitancy in the UK.

Using conceptual frameworks based on the Protection Motivation Theory, Dr. Kenney’s research quantifies the prevalence of vaccine hesitancy in the UK and examines the association of vaccine hesitancy with sociodemographics and childhood vaccination coverage.

The research attempts to aid public health professionals with a catalogue of health interventions and strategies to ultimately address and prevent parental vaccine hesitancy in the long term.

Monitoring vaccine hesitancy could help inform immunisation programs as they develop and target methods to increase vaccine confidence and vaccination coverage.

Warm happy cheers to a worthy doctoral fellow making Africa proud in the diaspora!

About Dr. Kennedy:

Dr. Kennedy Obehiri Obohwemu is a medical graduate from Delta State University, Abraka, Nigeria. He holds a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree from the prestigious University of Roehampton, United Kingdom.
He also has a postgraduate certificate on Leadership and Management in Health from the University of Washington, USA. He is currently a PhD student and Academic Tutor at the Faculty of Health Science & Wellbeing, University of Sunderland, United Kingdom.

He bagged a State Merit Award for his outstanding performance during his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Year. He is a Fellow of the Young African Leadership Institute (YALI), Regional Leadership Center (West Africa), a global initiative of former President Barack Obama of the United States.

He was rewarded with the highly coveted Obama’s YALI Leadership Award in recognition of his exceptional leadership skills and managerial prowess.

He was selected among thousands of applicants from around the world to attend the 2017 Summer Youth Assembly at the United Nations Headquarters, New York City, USA.
He was also selected among hundreds of young African leaders to attend the 2017 International Conference on Climate Change in Bellevue, Washington. The event was co-hosted by The Alliance for Climate Protection and The Climate Reality Project, a U.S. non-profit, public charity founded by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore.

Dr. Kennedy has experience across healthcare, civic leadership, policy formulation and legislative drafting, business and entrepreneurship, community development and youth empowerment.

He is a publisher, editor, novelist, playwright, visionary poet, leadership coach, activist & social blogger.

A writer of colour, Dr. Kennedy enjoys stories of love, adventure, mystery, and suspense. His internationally acclaimed book TWISTED was published in the United States and won the 2015 Readers Favourite Award within one year of its publication.

Dr. Kennedy is the Founder and Emeritus President of the Association of Nigerian Student Authors (ANSA).

He is a born leader, an uncanny talent, a refulgent adjudicator, a trusted administrator, an exotic breed, a man of first-class ideas, objective, creative, exquisite!

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No fewer than 8,000 women diagnosed with cancer of the cervix are losing their lives annually in Nigeria.

This figure was made known by the Medical Women Association of Nigeria, at the official kickoff of free cervical screening for all Women in Kogi State.

Speaking to newsmen on Friday as part of activities to mark the 2021 International Women’s Day, the President, Medical Women Association of Nigeria, Kogi State Chapter, Dr Abimbola Adesanya said Cancer of the cervix is ranked amongst the top three cancers affecting women globally.

She said in 2018, an estimated 570,000 women were diagnosed with cancer of the cervix worldwide.

Dr Adesanya who is a consultant Public Health Physician at Federal Medical Centre Lokoja, added that over 300,000 women die annually from the disease with over 80% of cases occurring in developed countries.

“In Nigeria an estimated 10,000 new cases are being diagnosed every year, with 8000 women dying from the cancer every year” She added.

The consultant Public Health Physician averred further that this year international women day is coming at a time the world is battling with a common enemy called “corona virus” adding that the screening will help women know their cancer status and how to go about it for treatment.

Although she noted that scientist have not been able to ascertain the actual cause of cancer, Dr Adesanya maintained that there are risk factors that could make a women get cancer.

The international women days which is observed globally on the 8th of March annually has this year Theme: ‘Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world.

The day was first celebrated in 1911 in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland, according to the international media.

The lineage of the celebration can be traced back to 1908, when 15,000 female workers marched in New York City as they sought more humane working hours, better pay and the right to vote.

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Over a hundred people have benefited from a free medical test during the last yuletide season at The Redeemed Christian Church of God, The great turn around parish Igbogbo, ikorodu, Lagos.

The free healthcare service was co-sponsored by Impact Energy & Logistics Limited.

Impact Energy & logistics Limited was Established in 2012 to take advantage in Key sectors of the Nigerian Economy namely energy, petroleum and logistics.The company recently ventured into Agriculture,security services and general commerce.
The Managing Director of the company, Mr. Dare Osamo said, the gesture was part of the company’s CSR in giving back to the society, “because the company believes it is one of the most effective ways it can reach back to the community drawing from it’s limited resources.

“The company organized the medical test on the firm belief that health is wealth, also considering that many people do not take their health seriously.”

Mr Dare Osamo urged the people to take seriously, instructions given them by medical experts at the free healthcare programme while also projecting that the company will embark on more Charity work in the year 2021.

The Pastorate of the church appreciated Impact Energy & logistics limited for the kind gesture and advised other corporate organization to emulate it.

The Kogi state chairman, medical and health workers union of Nigeria, Comrade Amari Gabriel gave the advice on Thursday while felicitating with Christians on this special day.

Amari urged Nigerians to rededicate themselves to the virtues of peace, love, honesty, justice, equity, piety, humility and service to others.

He noted that such virtues were necessary if Nigeria must progress to the expected level.

The health experts urged Nigerians to renew their faith in God and remain dedicated to the course of national development in the true spirit of Christmas which epitomizes love, perseverance, patience, brotherly kindness and the spirit of sharing.

Amari stressed further that Nigeria is a nation which God has blessed and must not be allowed to go astray amidst the challenges bedeviling the unity of the country.

He also enjoined Nigerians to reach out in love and compassion to fellow Nigerians who were in distress at this period of the nation’s history.

The chairman particularly, urged them to remember victims of terrorism and insurgency in the country, especially Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

While praying for a peaceful Christmas and a prosperous new year in advance, Amari said no doubt the year 2020 was grilled with up’s and down, Nigerians particularly kogites should not lose hope as there are betters days ahead if they continue to put their trust in God.

He also called on Nigerians to pray for leaders at all levels.

Amari, while calling on all stakeholders to join hands to put an head to the second wave of covid-19 pandemic ravaging the world today, he lauded health workers in the state for putting the lives at risk to safe the country from further spread of the pandemic.

He prayed that their sacrifices to their father land would never go in vein.

Amari assured health workers in the state that the struggle for better welfare continues even as they enter into the new year, until victory is ascertained.

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