There is the need for older and accomplished medical professionals to mentor younger ones and support fresh graduates to help them have a deep understanding of the profession and the real world.
This awareness informed the decision of the Alumni Association of the Department of Health Promotion and Education, HPE, Faculty of Public Health, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, to bring together accomplished professionals, alumni and graduates across the universe, to provide information, guidance and mentorship for the young ones in the profession, through a talk show.
The Chairman, Pro-term Executive HPE Alumni Association, Dr Bright Orji, nown in an interview with Voice of Nigeria, explained that the talk show would help not only undergraduates in HPE to be focused but also aspiring undergraduates to know what the profession is all about.
He stated, “the department has been in existence for a long time and has trained lots of Africans, including Nigerians, to become public health practitioners. So, in a way, this is a homecoming for these professionals. Wherever they are working or based, we will all gather on Friday to discuss and interact and probably meet online for the first time after we graduated.”
Dr Orji, who is also a project director with Jhpiego, an affiliate of Johns Hopkins University, USA, disclosed that the talk show is organised to help aspiring/up and coming professionals know what lies ahead of them so they can become successful practitioners after they graduate.
He said, “The global community is dynamic and public health is also changing. There is need for the department also to be proactive, understanding what will be required of the younger professionals who are being trained.”
Orji stressed that part of the expectations for organising the talk show is that professionals who have been in the practice would understand the changes that have taken place globally in the profession and also be part of the process.
The virtual talk show tagged, the First Grand Alumni Talk Show, with the topic: Carrer Path in Public Health Promotion and Education, is scheduled to hold on Friday, 16th April, 2021 between 8pm and 9:30pm West African Time.
Dominica Nwabufo
