He has been listed, since 2004, in the "top 1% cited researchers in the area of psychiatry and psychology" and, according to Clarivate Analytics, he is one of the "most influential scientific minds"[2] Oyewusi Gureje, born in Ilesa, Osun State, Nigeria, he studied medicine at the University of Benin, Nigeria and later obtained a Master in Science from the University of Manchester, UK.

[8] He was the Zonal Representative for West and Central Africa of the World Psychiatric Association (2005 – 2008)[7] and has been chair of its Task Force on Brain Drain (2007 – 2008), a member of several committees.

[7] Gureje was a member of the international advisory group for the revision of the Chapter on Mental and Behavioural Disorders of the 10th edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) and was chair of the Workgroup on Somatic Distress and Dissociative Disorders, chair of the Workgroup on Cultural Guidance and vice-chair, Field Studies Coordinating Group.

He was the Principal Investigator in the NIMH-funded Partnerships for Mental Health Development in Sub-Sahara Africa project, which included the conduct of the first randomized controlled trial of collaborative shared care for psychosis between traditional/faith healers and conventional.

Through his work on mhLAP, he has supported policy and service development in Ghana, Gambia, Sierra Leone and Liberia.