Celebrating Taiwo Olawehinmi and Yusuff Adebayo Adebisi: Redefining Mentorship for Africa’s Future Pharmacy Leaders

In the heart of Africa’s growing healthcare landscape, two visionary pharmacists, Taiwo Olawehinmi and Yusuff Adebayo Adebisi, have ignited a quiet revolution in pharmacy education through the Pharma Incubation Hub (PIH) Fellowship. As co-founders, their innovative approach to mentorship has transformed the lives of hundreds of pharmacy students, with the recently concluded Cohort 6 standing as a powerful testament to their vision and impact.

Taiwo Olawehinmi is a renowned elocution coach, and healthcare and marketing strategist, currently an MBA Candidate at Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management in the United States. “Our vision for PIH has always been to empower African pharmacy students to see themselves as global leaders, capable of driving transformative change within and outside healthcare” says Olawehinmi. Yusuff Adebayo Adebisi is a renowned Oxford-trained epidemiologist and prolific global health researcher, currently a doctoral researcher at the University of Glasgow, United Kingdom. “PIH is about building a community where passion meets purpose, creating pharmacists who don’t just fill prescriptions but shape the future of health systems through research and innovation” Adebisi reflects.

What makes their story especially inspiring is that they launched PIH in 2019 while still pharmacy undergraduates at the University of Ibadan, driven by a belief that students could inspire and support one another to lead. What began as a student-led initiative has now become a continent-wide movement, equipping pharmacy students with the tools to dream ambitiously, lead with clarity, and contribute meaningfully to healthcare systems.

The mentorship model goes far beyond traditional structures, combining practical experience, structured guidance, and community engagement to nurture not only competent pharmacists but bold, future-ready changemakers. PIH’s impact is amplified by a dedicated team of pan-African volunteers who bring diverse expertise and passion to mentorship, community outreach, and program execution across 16 African countries.

Over the years, PIH has grown steadily, reflecting a strong commitment to mentorship, inclusion, and capacity building. Cohort 1 began in 2019 with just 15 fellows, followed by 29 in 2020, 39 in 2021, 38 in 2022, and 90 in 2023. Most recently, 117 fellows graduated from Cohort 6 in 2025, selected from a highly competitive pool of 311 applicants across 16 African countries.

The impact of PIH is best seen in the achievements of its fellows. Some fellows have launched impactful community health projects, while others have received full scholarships to prestigious universities. Several have taken the lead in research, publishing findings in peer-reviewed journals and contributing to evidence-based healthcare conversations. Others have received competitive funding to support their projects and ideas. PIH’s mentorship network spans multiple fields, including academic pharmacy, public health, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and health technology, as well as niche and underrepresented specialties where access to mentorship is often limited (e.g. sports pharmacy). This breadth empowers fellows like those spotlighted below to innovate and lead in diverse areas, from digital health to health equity, supported by global networks and partnerships.

Among many inspiring alumni, a few are spotlighted here to illustrate the programme’s diverse impact. Dr. Claudia Edem Mawuenyega made history as the first female president of Ghana Pharmaceutical Students Association at Central University, Ghana. Pharm. Oluwakorede Adedeji, a 2025 Rhodes Scholar-elect, will commence a PhD at the prestigious University of Oxford. Pharm. Timileyin Omolayo Awolola, pursuing a Master’s in Health Informatics at the University of Toronto, is advancing AI and digital health. Pharm. Kenneth Egwu, a Diana Award recipient, is advancing the fight against antimicrobial resistance through the AMR Intervarsity Training Programme, supported with a grant from The British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy and PAR Foundation. Pharm. Deborah Shomuyiwa, a PhD candidate in Health Promotion and Behaviour at the University of Georgia, is driving health equity and systems research. Pharm. Bashirudeen Opeyemi is also applying data science and blockchain to improve healthcare outcomes and continues to embody PIH’s culture of paying it forward.

Through its model, PIH has supported almost 400 pharmacy undergraduates across six cohorts, providing a structured blend of mentorship, leadership development, research training, and access to resources and scholarships. The fellowship now anchors a vibrant community of changemakers who collectively reach and impact more than 20,000 people annually, either directly through community projects or indirectly through leadership in local institutions and networks. Strategic partnerships with organizations like International Pharmaceutical Students’ Federation – African Regional Office and Global Health Focus further enhance PIH’s reach, connecting fellows with regional and global platforms to advance pharmacy leadership and healthcare innovation.

As the programme continues to evolve, its purpose remains rooted in the belief that African pharmacy students can lead global healthcare transformation. Each cohort builds on the legacy of the last, reinforcing PIH’s position as a career accelerator and leadership engine.

With a growing network, strategic partnerships across Africa, and a bold vision for the future, PIH is redefining what it means to mentor, lead, and serve in African healthcare, and inspiring the next generation to do the same.