Nigerian Lawyers Association
Press Release September 2, 2008
Nigerian Lawyers Association to honor Dr. Olufunmilayo F. Olopade, MD,
FACP, Professor of Medicine and Human Genetics at the University of
Chicago and ICPC Chairman, Justice Emmanuel O. Ayoola, to deliver
Keynote Address.
The Nigerian Lawyers Association ("NLA") will hold its annual Merit Award Dinner on September 20, 2008 at the Crowne Plaza Times Square Manhattan Hotel in New York City. The 2008 NLA Merit Award will be presented to Dr. Olufunmilayo F. Olopade, MD, FACP, Professor of Medicine and Human Genetics and Director of the Center for Clinical Cancer Genetics and Global Health at the University of Chicago Medical Center.
The Honoree
Dr. Olufunmilayo Olopade is one of the world's leading authorities on cancer genetics and cancer risk assessment and an expert on individualized treatment for breast cancer. Dr. Olopade's clinical interests include the molecular genetics of breast cancer in women of African heritage. Her research, including a study that found significant differences between breast cancers in Caucasian women and women of African descent, has generated global awareness on the early onset of, and increased risk for, estrogen-receptor negative breast cancer, an aggressive form of the disease that is resistant to hormone therapy, in women of African heritage. Her practice has also focused on testing improved methods for prediction, prevention and early detection of cancer in moderate- and high-risk demographics/populations. Dr. Olopade also collaborates with cancer specialists and other medical practitioners in Nigeria in the prevention and treatment of cancer. She was instrumental to the establishment of the first fully functional immunohistochemistry laboratory at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria and she is involved in the creation of a
Center of Excellence in Breast Imaging in Ibadan, Nigeria.
In 2005, Dr. Olopade was named a MacArthur Fellow by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and was granted the foundation's prestigious "genius grant" for "translating findings on the molecular genetics of breast cancer in African and African-American women into innovative clinical practices in the United States and abroad." Other awards she has received include the State of Illinois Governor's People Are Today's Heroes (PATH) Award in 2005 for her dedication to breast cancer research, the Phenomenal Woman Award in 2003, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation Award in 2001, the Doris Duke Distinguished Clinical Scientist Award in 2000, the James S. McDonnell Foundation Scholar Award in 1992, the American Society for Clinical Oncology Young Investigator Award in 1991, the Association for Brain Tumor Research/Ellen Ruth Lebow Fellowship in 1990, the University of Ibadan Sir Samuel Manuwa Gold Medal for Excellence in the Clinical Sciences in 1980, and the Nigerian Medical Association awards for excellence in pediatrics and medicine in 1978 and 1980 respectively.
Dr. Olopade received her MD with distinction in 1980 from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria and served as a medical officer at the Nigerian Navy Hospital in Lagos, Nigeria from 1981 to 1983. In 1986, Dr. Olopade completed her residency in internal medicine at Cook County Hospital,
Chicago, where she was named Chief Medical Resident. She subsequently trained in hematology and oncology as a postdoctoral fellow from 1987 to 1991 at the University of Chicago, where she has been on the faculty since 1991. Dr. Olopade has delivered various lectures and written various articles on topics including cancer genetics and risk assessment and the prevention, early detection and treatment of breast cancer. She has served as a reviewer for several journals such as the Journal of Clinical Oncology and the New England Journal of Medicine.
The Keynote Speaker
The keynote address will be delivered by Honorable Justice Emmanuel Olayinka Ayoola, the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission of Nigeria (ICPC) and a judge of the Appeals Chamber of the Special Court for Sierra Leone. As the Chairman of the ICPC, Justice Ayoola oversees the investigation and prosecution of corruption complaints received by the ICPC from members of the Nigerian public. Prior to his appointment as the Chairman of the ICPC in 2005, Justice Ayoola was a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Nigeria's apex court (1998 - 2003), and the Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission of Nigeria (2003 - 2005). Justice Ayoola has served in various other judicial capacities, including serving as, Justice of the Court of Appeal of the Gambia (1980 - 1983), Chief Justice of the Gambia (1983 - 1992), President of the Court of Appeals of Seychelles, Justice of the Court of Appeal of Nigeria (1992 - 1998) and President of the Special Court for Sierra Leone (2004 - 2005). He was also the Vice President of the World Judges Association (1991) and Chairman of the Working Committee on Law Revision of the Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2000. Justice Ayoola is a graduate of the University of London (Bachelor of Laws degree) and Oxford University (Bachelor of Arts degree with honors in Jurisprudence). He is a recipient of the Nigerian National Honor of the Commander of the Order of the Niger and the Gambian National Honor of the Commander of the National Order of the Republic of the Gambia.
About Nigerian Lawyers Association
The Nigerian Lawyers Association (NLA) is an association of attorneys based in the United States. The NLA is active in cultivating the science of jurisprudence and facilitating the administration of justice in the United States and Nigeria. In addition, the NLA serves the needs of members of the Nigerian legal community, as well as the Nigerian community as a whole, in their understanding of and access to the law. The NLA also promotes legal education and professional development in the law. Among other events and activities, the NLA holds periodic continuing legal education seminars for lawyers and conducts free legal clinics within the Nigerian community to assist individuals with various legal issues. For further information about the NLA, please visit:
www.nigerianlawyers.org.
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