Professor Olawale SulaimanCON (born 1969/1970) is a Canadian and american-trained neurosurgeon, academician and physician executive of nigerian heritage.[1][2] He is the CEO and chief medical director of RNZ Global Ltd, a healthcare development, operations and management company he started in 2010.[3][4][5] He is also the chief medical officer of RNZ Clinic.
He was system chairman of neurosurgery and co-medical director at the Ochsner Neuroscience Institute until January 2019[7][8] and then serves as the medical director, international medicine, African Region, Ochsner Health system.[9][6] He was a professor of neurosurgery at Tulane University.[10] Currently, a visiting professor at the University of Ilorin, Kwara State, and adjunct professor to University of Abuja. He is the CEO and chief medical director of RNZ Global Ltd, a healthcare development, operations and management company he started in 2010.[3][4][1][5] On May 17, 2023, President Muhammadu Buhari appointed him as the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman Governing Council [11] of the Federal University of Health Science, Ila-Orangun, Osun State.
While working as the Chairman of Neurosurgery at Ochsner Health System in New Orleans, USA, Sulaiman negotiated a reduction in his annual salary by 25% to free up time for him to travel to Nigeria every month to participate in education, training, and provision of medical care to Nigerians including free neurosurgery and spine care.[1] Through his position in the USA, he has trained hundreds of medical students, resident Doctors and Fellows as well as facilitated the training of Nigerian Doctors at his hospital by providing scholarships. Furthermore, he has facilitated the involvement of prominent American healthcare companies in Nigeria by providing hands-on training and education to Neurosurgeons, Orthopedic Surgeons, and Resident Doctors. He has also been involved in countless medical missions where thousands of Nigerians benefited from free medical and surgical care. He also co-founded RNZ Foundation with his wife, Mrs. Patricia Sulaiman to provide free medical services for Nigerian patients and training for healthcare professionals.[3][5][15][16]
Personal life
Olawale Sulaiman was born in 1969 or 1970 in Lagos Island, Lagos, Nigeria; he later described being born into a poor polygamous family as one of ten children.[1] Sulaiman later moved to Ajasse Ipo.[2]
By March 2018, Sulaiman had three children.[17] In October 2019, he was married to his wife Patricia and living in Louisiana.[1]
He is married to Patricia, a nurse practitioner,[1][18][19] and they have three children, Rahim, Zaynab, and Najeeb.[17][4]
He was shortlisted as one of the Sixty (60) most influential Nigerians, at "Your Views" Nigeria at 60th Diamond Jubilee series (Morayo,2020), in recognition of his selfless humanitarian services and career achievements home and abroad. Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) also shortlisted him as one of the top +600 most prominent Nigerians at the 60th Independent anniversary. He was conferred the Distinguished Citizen Award in (2019) by the Nigerian Canadian Association of Calgary (NCAC) presented by Adeyinka Olatokunbo Asekun, the Nigerian ambassador to Canada. Recently, he was also awarded the rank of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) by President Muhammed Buhari.[20]
