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Mission:BRAIN Ilorin 2025 — From Streets to Skills Lab to Center Stage
Cranioguard Mission 2.0 (Community Outreach)
Before the main conference, Mission:BRAIN volunteers fanned out across multiple transport hubs to meet riders and drivers where safety matters most. We distributed protective helmets and delivered clear, practical talks on road safety and first-aid “do’s and don’ts” for suspected traumatic brain injury (TBI) and cervical spine injuries—equipping transportation workers within and beyond our campus to protect themselves and respond safely when seconds count. The pre-conference program recognized the Cranioguard Mission as a core outreach pillar.
Clinical Skills Pre-Conference — July 25, 2025
Hosted at the Clinical Skills Lab, the Cranioguard hands-on pre-conference trained nearly 100 participants from multiple institutions. Attendees practiced Basic Life Support (BLS) on manikins and participated in an emergency neurotrauma session led by a consultant neurosurgeon, who demonstrated both the correct and incorrect approaches to managing TBI at the point of care.
The afternoon doubled as an introduction to Mission:BRAIN and a showcase of student ingenuity, featuring the Global Surgery Box—a locally sourced suturing trainer that reflects our commitment to practical, equitable surgical education.
Conference Day — July 26, 2025
Scale, Scholarship, and Spark
A carefully coordinated hybrid model drew strong engagement, with 1,962 in-person attendees and steady virtual participation—an operational success supported by campus transport to the University of Ilorin Main Auditorium.
The academic program lived up to its theme—“Bridging Minds: Advancing Brain Health through Ethics, Science, and Innovation”—spotlighting student research through competitive abstracts and energizing the hall with the inaugural Neurovation Challenge, a flagship pitch forum for practical solutions in neurosurgery, neurotechnology, mental health, and neuro-education.
From a competitive field of interdisciplinary finalists:
- Team Beta Mind took first place.
- Team Stroke Health and Team Menteyn followed closely.
All three teams received the Abode-Akindoro Innovation Award to support further development—proof that bright ideas can accelerate when given a stage.
A Landmark Launch
Mid-program, we unveiled the Ilorin NeuroJournal—an independent, student-led, cross-continental publication designed as an annual platform for neuroscience ideas and stories. Its debut was met with enthusiasm, with ceremonial print copies presented to dignitaries and a digital edition planned for wide access. This marks an investment in sustained conversation and community well beyond a single conference weekend.
Momentum That Reaches Further
A creative publicity drive pushed total participation past 2,000 across both physical and virtual channels, even drawing senior university leadership into the audience—clear validation that our message resonates far beyond campus.
Why It Matters
From helmet hand-offs on busy roads to BLS drills in the skills lab and innovation pitches under auditorium lights, the through-line was simple: when we meet people where they are, train with purpose, and celebrate homegrown ideas, we move brain health forward—together.
