The 2025 Global Golisano Health Leadership Awards
The Global Golisano Health Leadership Award recognizes health champions—leaders and organizations—who make significant contributions to improving the health and well-being of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The award also promotes awareness of the progress and extraordinary efforts toward fulfilling the goals, values, and mission of Special Olympics Health work. This is the highest Special Olympics honor for health partners.
2025 Global Golisano Health Leadership Award Recipient from Nigeria: Dr. Simeon Afolabi
Clinical Director, Healthy Hearing – Special Olympics Nigeria
Dr. Simeon Afolabi is an audiologist with over 25 years of experience in public and private sectors across Nigeria. As the Founder and CEO of BSA Speech and Language Centre and a Healthy Hearing Clinical Director for Special Olympics Nigeria, he has significantly improved access to inclusive audiology services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Through his work with Special Olympics Healthy Athletes®, he has organized over 30 Healthy Hearing screenings across rural and urban communities in five of Nigeria’s six geopolitical regions.
Dr. Afolabi is also passionate about expanding inclusive health training for healthcare workers across the country. He has trained an estimated 700 healthcare professionals and 1,000 medical students on how to provide audiological care for people with IDD. Through Dr. Afolabi’s leadership, medical professionals develop better communication skills and deeper understandings of the unique healthcare needs of Special Olympics athletes and all people with IDD, fostering more inclusive healthcare experiences and outcomes.
Dr. Simeon Afolabi is an audiologist with over 25 years of experience in public and private sectors across Nigeria. As the Founder and CEO of BSA Speech and Language Centre and a Healthy Hearing Clinical Director for Special Olympics Nigeria, he has significantly improved access to inclusive audiology services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Through his work with Special Olympics Healthy Athletes®, he has organized over 30 Healthy Hearing screenings across rural and urban communities in five of Nigeria’s six geopolitical regions.
Dr. Afolabi is also passionate about expanding inclusive health training for healthcare workers across the country. He has trained an estimated 700 healthcare professionals and 1,000 medical students on how to provide audiological care for people with IDD. Through Dr. Afolabi’s leadership, medical professionals develop better communication skills and deeper understandings of the unique healthcare needs of Special Olympics athletes and all people with IDD, fostering more inclusive healthcare experiences and outcomes.
