Title: Consultant in Clinical Development and Medical Affairs
Company: Oriola ClinMed Consulting
Location: Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, United States
Olubunmi Olutoyin Afonja, MD, Consultant in Clinical Development and Medical Affairs at Oriola ClinMed Consulting, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Doctors for dedication, achievements and leadership in Hematology-Oncology and Drug Development.
Dr. Afonja has established a distinguished career spanning 35 years in the fields of hematology-oncology and drug development for blood disorders and genetic conditions affecting children. Her expertise is widely recognized, and she is highly regarded in her field for her dedication to advancing therapies for rare pediatric diseases.
In her current capacity as a consultant in clinical development and medical affairs at Oriola ClinMed Consulting LLC, since 2025, Dr. Afonja reviews and analyzes regulatory documents to ensure compliance with industry standards and guidelines. She also supports the writing and development of regulatory submissions, facilitates the approval of new therapies and conducts medical monitoring to assess and ensure the safety of patients participating in ongoing clinical trials.
Dr. Afonja spent 2024 and 2025 as the vice president of clinical development at Editas Medicine, a genome editing company. In this executive position, she provided strategic leadership in advancing gene editing therapies, overseeing clinical programs focused on rare genetic diseases. From 2021 to 2024, she was the senior director of clinical development at Editas Medicine.
From 2020 to 2021, Dr. Afonja served as the global clinical lead for rare diseases, cell and gene therapy at Bayer Pharmaceuticals. Her earlier tenure with the organization included serving as the executive director of medical affairs, a position she assumed in 2019 after being promoted from director of medical affairs, a role she held between 2008 and 2009.
Earlier in her career, Dr. Afonja excelled as an attending physician at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center (now known as NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medicine) from 1998 to 2008. In this role, she provided direct patient care while mentoring trainees in pediatric hematology-oncology.
Dr. Afonja’s academic journey began at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria, where she earned a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery in 1990. Inspired by early experiences witnessing children suffering from blood disorders such as sickle cell disease, a prevalent condition in Nigeria, she developed a passion for hematology that would shape her future career. Following her medical degree, Dr. Afonja completed a residency in pediatrics at the State University of New York Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn, New York, in 1995. She then completed a second residency in pediatric hematology-oncology at the Grossman School of Medicine at New York University, graduating in 1998.
Years later, Dr. Afonja returned to college, obtaining a Master of Business Administration from The George Washington University in Washington, DC, in 2010. She currently holds board certifications in general pediatrics and pediatric hematology-oncology.
Active in her professional community, Dr. Afonja’s professional affiliations include membership in the American Society of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, the American Society of Hematology and the European Hematology Association. Her civic engagement includes involvement with Habitat for Humanity, as well as volunteer work through church initiatives and community projects at a Nigerian medical school, demonstrating a broad commitment to service beyond her professional obligations.
Dr. Afonja’s professional contributions have extended beyond clinical practice into bench research in oncology. Her research efforts were recognized with several primary publications and a K23 Award from the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Afonja’s scholarly output notably includes several primary articles published during her tenure as a bench researcher, which have advanced the understanding within pediatric oncology.
During the early part of her medical career, Dr. Afonja made a profound impact through her work with young patients diagnosed with severe conditions. Among her most significant achievements was diagnosing an infant with aplastic anemia shortly after completing her fellowship. She successfully coordinated a clinical trial and collaborated with experts at the National Institutes of Health to ensure timely immunosuppressive therapy for the child.
Dr. Afonja attributes her success to unwavering dedication and inner drive, a deep commitment to helping patients both directly through care delivery and indirectly through research innovation. She believes strongly in being a positive contributor to society by addressing unmet medical needs.
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