Dr. Lola Dare is a community physician and medical epidemiologist.  She graduated MB;BS from the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, June 1985 and obtained a Masters of Science degree Epidemiology from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in 1991.  She also has been awarded certificates in Population and Development; International Health and in Health Sector Reform and Sustainable Financing as David E. Bell Fellow, a Takemi Fellow and a scholar of the Harvard School of Public Health, United States of America in 1994 and 2000 respectively.  Dr. Dare is a fellow of the National Postgraduate Medical College in the Faculty of Community Medicine.

Dr. Dare has since 1993 worked at the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan and as lead consultant of the NGO (occupying the position of Chief Executive Officer) Center for Health Sciences Training, Research and Development [CHESTRAD] International.  She has been involved in research design, implementation and evaluation in the field of reproductive health with a focus on the status and well being of young persons and women in poor resource settings.  Her expertise covers the development of information, education and communication (IEC) materials adopting a participatory approach to content and layout.  She is knowledgeable in design of service provision programs that optimize private /public sector resources to empower and improve reproductive care to young persons.  This compliments experience in the design and management of field based laboratory services and referral laboratory support for sexually transmitted infections including HIV/AIDS.  

More recently, she has been involved in health policy research and systems development in Africa with a focus on the identification of novel strategies to engage communities, households and the wider African civil society in sustainable development.  This emphasizes on health sector reform with particular reference on inter-sectoral collaboration, improved cohesion and sustainability at all levels of the health care system as well as the initiatives to place health at the center of Africa’s socio-economic development. Her activities have also involved the identification of culturally sensitive and adaptive mechanisms for community co-financing and management in what is implemented as the Oriade Initiative.  The African Regional Office of the World Health Organization has awarded this Initiative as one of the best NGO practice for Poverty and Health in Africa in 2001. 

Dr. Dare has been engaged in advocacy for people-centered reform and development in Nigeria and was a member of the World Bank Expert Panel for Better Health in Africa (BHA).  In 1998, the BHA panel metamorphosed into the Pan-African institution, the African Council for Sustainable Health Development [ACOSHED].  The work of ACOSHED represents a unique partnership between governments, civil society, and development partners.   Its work is crucial in efforts to achieve the overall goal of sustainable human and socio-economic development in Africa.  This over-riding goal to place health at the center of the development agenda could not be more crucial than at this time in Africa’s development.

ACOSHED’s priority programs include advocacy, information dissemination and operations research for improved governance in the health sector.  ACOSHED works through networks managed by its Country Chapters that will increasingly hold African governments and partners to their commitments to health and sustainable development.  ACOSHED will contribute to independent review processes that will foster accountability and facilitate good governance in health development in Africa.   These in concert will broaden partnership for health care financing within the overall framework that links health with poverty reduction programs and strategies presented by African governments in the program on New Partnership for Africa’s Development [NEPAD].  ACOSHED has chapters in Nigeria, Benin, Uganda, Senegal, Ghana, Togo and Burkina Faso. 

Dr. Dare is currently Executive Secretary of the Council and a member of its Executive Board.  She facilitates health leadership development and management programs and serves as social development consultant for many regional and global organizations.  She is a member of many local and international professional and development organizations including the Nigerian Medical Association, American Public Health Association, International AIDS Society and Institute of Directors.