Dr. ADEKEMI Adeniyan is a rural dentist first and foremost.
She works in one of the world’s most challenging settings, in Nigeria where fewer than two in 10 persons have access to oral health care where dental health remains one of the most neglected areas of public health.
Dr. Adeniyan has spent the last decade addressing this gap with “creativity, compassion, and data,” says the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). Based at the University of Washington, IHME works with collaborators around the world to develop the evidence that informs health policy and practice.
Dr. Adeniyan, the Executive Director of the Dentalcare Foundation and advocate for oral health advancement in Nigeria, has been named IHME’s 2025 Roux Prize winner. She will receive a $100,000 award for pioneering innovative, data-driven solutions to tackle oral health disparities in underserved communities.
The prize embodies the mission of the Global Burden of Disease Study, led by IHME, the most extensive and thorough scientific effort ever to quantify health levels and trends worldwide.
Now in its 12th year, the Roux Prize recognizes individuals all over the globe who have leveraged evidence-based health data to improve population health. Established in 2013 by David and Barbara Roux, the prize showcases how visionary use of health evidence can drive meaningful change and is awarded by IHME at the University of Washington’s School of Medicine.
The Roux Prize is sponsored by IHME’s founding board member David Roux and his wife, Barbara, to reward innovation in the application of disease burden research. The prize recognizes the person who has used health evidence in bold ways to make people healthier – and to highlight just what’s possible when visionaries use health evidence to change lives.
An independent population health research organization based at the University of Washington School of Medicine, IHME makes its research available and approachable to inform health policy and practice in pursuit of its vision: that all people living long lives in full health.
Dr. Adeniyan’s commitment to bridging health equity gaps, particularly in areas often left out of the public health agenda, embodies the spirit of the Roux Prize.
In Nigeria, dental health remains one of the most neglected areas of public health. She has led the deployment of mobile dental clinics and Nigeria’s first solar-powered tele-dental kiosk, delivering care to over 100,000 people in rural communities. Her work uses local health data, school records, and community feedback to inform, evaluate, and scale interventions that are both effective and culturally relevant.
“Dr. Adeniyan’s commitment to bridging health equity gaps, particularly in areas often left out of the public health agenda, embodies the spirit of the Roux Prize,” said Dr. Christopher Murray, Director of IHME. “Her work shows the power of combining evidence-based, community-led innovations with local knowledge to drive meaningful change and expand access to dental care in Nigeria.”
Receiving the Roux Prize is an affirmation of every underserved child who has waited in line for dental care, of every rural woman who believed she couldn’t lead, and of every community health worker who continues to serve despite the odds, according to the IHME in a press statement.
Dr. Adeniyan’s story began in the underserved neighborhoods of Lagos, the capital of Nigeria, and has grown into a national movement for oral health equity. As founder of Smile Superheroes, a health edtech company, she is transforming dental health education for children by making complex concepts simple and fun.
Her initiatives include Nigeria’s first oral health storybook for kids, The Girl Who Found Her Smile, now translated into six languages and distributed to over 60,000 children across Africa, the Philippines, and the United States.
Dr. Adeniyan has trained over 2,500 teachers and community health workers to promote oral health in their localities, helping to create a network of advocates that multiplies her impact across borders. Her opinion pieces in outlets like BMJ Global Health, Punch Nigeria, and Daily Trust further advocate for integrating oral health into Nigeria’s universal health coverage plans and regional health policy.
She is a Commonwealth Scholar, a Senior Fellow of the Aspen New Voices Fellowship, and a Global Atlantic Fellow for Health Equity at the Atlantic Institute. She is also an alumna of the Young African Leaders Initiative RLC, West Africa, and an Associate Fellow of the Royal Commonwealth Society in the United Kingdom. Through these platforms, she has championed the inclusion of oral health in public health policy and led conversations on health equity, women’s leadership, and community-driven innovation across Africa and beyond.
Dr. Adeniyan will use the US$100,000 award to help expand her evidence-based oral health initiatives across underserved communities. The funds will support the scaling of her tele-dental kiosk model, translation and distribution of her oral health VR experience, and growth of Smile Superheroes’ culturally relevant educational tools.
“Receiving the Roux Prize is an affirmation of every underserved child who has waited in line for dental care, of every rural woman who believed she couldn’t lead, and of every community health worker who continues to serve despite the odds,” Dr. Adeniyan said. “This recognition will help expand our reach across the Global South and bring oral health into the broader public health conversation where it belongs.”
Dr. Adeniyan will be recognized at an award ceremony on October 14 in London.
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Dr. Joseph D. Lim, Ed. D., is the former Associate Dean of the College of Dentistry, University of the East; former Dean, College of Dentistry, National University; Past President and Honorary Fellow of the Asian Oral Implant Academy; Honorary Fellow of the Japan College of Oral Implantologists; Honorary Life Member of the Thai Association of Dental Implantology; and Founding Chairman of the Philippine College of Oral Implantologists. For questions on dental health, e-mail jdlim2008@gmail.com or text 0917-8591515.
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Dr. Kenneth Lester Lim, BS-MMG, DDM, MSc-OI, graduated Doctor of Dental Medicine, University of the Philippines, College of Dentistry, Manila, 2011; Bachelor of Science in Marketing Management, De la Salle University, Manila, 2002; and Master of Science (MSc.) in Oral Implantology, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany, 2019. He is an Associate Professor; Fellow, International Congress of Oral Implantologists; and Fellow, Philippine College of Oral Implantologists. For questions on dental health, e-mail limdentalcenter@gmail.com/PN
