Mariam Labinjo, MPH 2003

A Hopkins MPH provided me the opportunity to develop the necessary knowledge, skill and network required to achieve one of my main goals of being a decision maker; and in a position to positively effect change and protect lives millions at a time. Upon my return to Nigeria, my first job was with the World Health Organization, which stemmed from the strong network developed as a student and post doctoral fellow in International Health at the School.

My work with the WHO was primarily to conduct the first national household survey on road traffic injury in the country and later serve as the National Coordinator for the WHO Global Status Report of Road Traffic Injury.  In addition to this, I worked on a DFID funded road safety evaluation project for the Federal Government of Nigeria; during which time, I started and completed the WHO mentorship program on Violence and Injury Prevention.

Currently, I serve as the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor of Lagos State on Transport Education, where I work with His Excellency to develop the much needed human capacity in the field of transportation. Consequently, we developed a school traffic safety program specifically targeted at primary and secondary school students in the state.  In addition to this, I work closely with the Lagos State University, School of Transport, which was established in May 2008, and aim at building human capacity required to effectively reform and operate the transportation sector in Lagos State. The school, which is the first of its kind in Africa, offers Bachelors Degree Programs in Transportation, Part- time professional programs in Logistics and Transport and short- term courses of the National Transit Institute, USA.

Hopkins is a family I am proud to be a part of. I continue to work closely with faculty and students at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health on various research projects and intervention programs.

Mariam Labinjo currently works as the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor of Lagos State on Transport Education in Lagos, Nigeria.