By Diakpomrere, Ogheneworo Epiphany
Centre of Excellence in Reproductive Health Innovation (CERHI) on Tuesday 18th January, 2022 held a One-day workshop at the Theatre Hall 2, CERHI, University of Benin (UNIBEN), tagged “Workshop on Research Priorities Agenda Setting in Reproductive Health.” The workshop was targeted at Learned Fellows from all disciplines of human endeavor, Staff and Students of the University of Benin, and Virtual Participants within and outside Nigeria.
The CERHI Research Coordinator, Dr. Rose Ugiagbe, opened the workshop with an introduction of participants and opening remarks about the objectives of the one-day workshop organized by CERHI, speaking she informed all that the workshop is organized to identify research priority areas or developmental changes in reproductive health which if investigated could lead to innovative and novel outcomes.
In his welcome address, the UNIBEN CERHI Leader, Convener and Host – Prof Friday Okonofua, stated that CERHI is a research centre used to promote issues in reproductive health, female genital mutilation, sexual violence, sexually transmitted disease (STDs), infertility, maternal mortality rate, gender-based violence, to mention but a few. CERHI also trains Masters and PhD Students, as well as encourages individual and group research in a bid to solve reproductive health challenges. Speaking further, Prof Okonofua also appreciated the efforts of the different presenters of key research ideas and encouraged them to develop innovative research concept notes capable of proffering solution to the challenges in reproductive health. In his words, “you cannot be short of challenges to be addressed; everyday new ones come up. Describing the problem has been over flogged, but finding the root causes has not been done so well.” Research Ideas featured include; Research Priorities for Endometriosis in Research Restricted Countries by Dr. Uche A. Menakaya; COVID19 and Perinatal Mortality by Dr. Loretta Ntiomo (Virtual Presenter); Access to Primary Health Care by Women and Children by Dr. Bola Ekezue and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Maternal Mortality by Dr. Eli Sukarime.
In his closing remarks, the Convener – Prof Okonofua appreciated the contributions of all participants and stated that irrespective of the fields of professionalism they are encouraged to draft viable concept notes for research, as well as collaborate and contribute to research priorities in reproductive health through their disciplines.
Present at the workshop were Former Deputy Vice-Chancellor (DVC) Academic (UNIBEN), Prof. Michael Aziken, Immediate Past Director Centre for Gender Studies UNIBEN – Prof. (Mrs.) Uwa Edosomwan, Representative of Head of Department (HOD), Sociology – Dr. Greg Igbinomwanhia, Programme Coordinator CERHI – Prof. (Mrs.) Akhere Omonkhua, M.SC and PhD Students of CERHI, Undergraduate level students of UNIBEN, amongst others.
CERHI was founded in December 2014. It is a world bank supported project at UNIBEN aimed at implementing high quality training and applied research for professionals needed to tackle the population and region through human resources and is headed by Prof. Friday Okonofua, an astute academic, intellectual and scholar, who is passionate about public health, female reproductive health, as well as Andrology. He is the founder of Women’s Health and Action Research Centre (WHARC); an NGO, established in 1993 to improve the reproductive health and social wellbeing of women, and adolescents in Africa. The workshop extended, expanded and enlarged the essence of research in reproductive health.
