What is SIHI Nigeria Hub

Professor Obioma Nwaorgu is an Emerita Professor of Public Health Parasitology and Epidemiology at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. She is a Takemi Fellow of the Harvard School of Public Health and served as a Global Health Leadership Fellow with the Roll Back Malaria Programme at WHO Geneva from 1999 to 2001. She holds a PhD in Parasitology from the University of Cambridge and a B.Sc. in Zoology from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, complemented by advanced training from institutions such as the University of Southampton, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, INTRAC Oxford, and the British Council. She served as Principal Investigator in ten WHO/TDR-supported research projects and Co-Investigator in two others, focusing on communicable diseases. Her extensive research portfolio includes projects funded by the Global Fund, World Bank, and Thekitasato Institute, addressing malaria control, HIV/AIDS, and the community impact of ivermectin. She has successfully supervised over forty MSc and PhD students. Professor Nwaorgu has played key roles in shaping national and global health policies. She was a member of the National Anti-Malaria Drug Policy Implementation Committee and served on the Neglected Tropical Diseases Steering Committee from its inception until 2018. In 2010, she was appointed to the WHO/TDR Research Strengthening Group, contributing to global research capacity-building efforts. She is a Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Science and currently serves as the Team Lead of the Social Innovation in Health Initiative (SIHI) Nigeria at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Hub, where she provides strategic leadership to drive community-engaged solutions to health challenges. She is also the Executive Director of the Global Health Awareness Research Foundation (GHARF), a Nigerian non-governmental organization focused on public health research and advocacy. Professor Nwaorgu’s career reflects a legacy of scientific excellence, health equity advocacy, research mentorship, and global health leadership.

Obinna is experienced in health economic evaluation, evidence-based public health, and implementation research including cluster randomized trials. He is currently working as a health economist and implementation scientist on different HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis delivery models in sub-Saharan Africa. He has a track record of successfully managing many projects simultaneously while working cross-functionally and meeting deadlines. He has strong analytical and strategic skills with experience in a variety of therapeutic fields, including cardiology, and infectious diseases. He is a fellow of the Nigerian Young Academy (NYA), and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (AVH). He was also a former Takemi Fellow at Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health.

Professor Chinyere Stella Okunna (Nee Adimora) is Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa’s first female Professor of Mass Communication, specializing in Development and Behaviour Change Communication. She holds a BA from the University of Nigeria, an MA from the University of Leicester, and was the first to earn a PhD in Mass Communication from a Nigerian university (University of Lagos). Currently serving as Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Paul University, Awka, Prof. Okunna has held numerous academic and administrative roles at Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), including Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Director of UNIZIK FM, and Head of the Mass Communication Department where she initiated postgraduate and diploma programs. She also served for eight years in the Anambra State Government under Governor Peter Obi as Commissioner for Information & Culture, Chief of Staff, and Coordinating Commissioner for Development Partnership and Donor Agencies, among other strategic roles, including chairing the State’s MDGs Implementation Committee. A prolific scholar, she has published widely in books and journals and presented at national and international conferences. She is a Fellow of NGE, NIPR, and ACCE, and serves on numerous boards and professional bodies including ACSPN, NMMA, MSCCN, IAMCR, WACC, and several university and media institutions. Prof. Okunna is a dedicated philanthropist and mentor. Her contributions include building infrastructure for educational institutions in her hometown, endowing academic and journalism prizes, and founding a mentorship group for communication scholars across Nigeria and the diaspora. She has consulted for several national and international organizations such as UNICEF, EU, UNFPA, UNESCO, DFID/UKaid, and NBC, where she delivered the 2020 Annual Lecture. Her recognitions include the Wole Soyinka Lifetime Award for Journalistic Excellence and the chieftaincy title “Kpakpando” as the first woman so honoured in her community.

Professor Chinyelu Angela Ekwunife (nee Emejulu) is a distinguished academic and parasitologist with over three decades of experience in teaching, research, and administration. She is a Professor in the Department of Parasitology and Entomology at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, where she has served since her promotion in 2014. She holds Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral degrees in Zoology with a specialization in Parasitology from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Her academic career began at the Federal College of Education (Technical), Umunze, and continued at Nwafor Orizu College of Education, Nsugbe, before she joined Nnamdi Azikiwe University in 2005. She has held several administrative positions including Head of Department and various leadership roles within the School and College of Postgraduate Studies, contributing significantly to research capacity building and academic development. Professor Ekwunife is actively involved in global health initiatives and is a member of the WHO Social Innovation in Health Initiative research team at UNIZIK. She has served as National Secretary and is currently the National Treasurer of the Parasitology and Public Health Society of Nigeria. She is also a management board member of the African Research Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases, a core member of the NNN Skin-NTD WASH Working Group, and Research and Planning Officer for the Pan-African Community Initiative on Education and Health. She is an ex-officio member of the Organisation for Women in Science for the Developing World. She has supervised over forty Master’s students and six PhD candidates and has published about fifty articles in reputable international peer-reviewed journals. Her academic achievements have earned her international travel grants from the WHO TDR in 2008, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in 2014, and the NNN Conferences in 2015 and 2019. Professor Ekwunife has undertaken professional training in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, molecular biology, gender-based analysis, and implementation research through globally recognized programs. Her career reflects a strong commitment to public health, mentorship, and scientific excellence in Nigeria and beyond.

Trained as a pharmacist, Uchenna is experienced in laboratory, clinical and marketing research with an interest in identifying public health gaps within Nigerian society in aspects of virology, antimicrobial resistance, emerging infectious diseases and implementation gaps in the deployment of existing solutions. Uchenna is also a Commonwealth scholar and is currently engaged in the Social Innovation in Health Initiative (SIHI) fellowship programme globally while also working locally to evaluate HIV treatment implementation and its biological impacts/implications among different cohorts in Nigeria. He is also a recipient of the American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene ACGH research grant and has served as the Zonal Coordinator of the Young Pharmacist Group (YPG).

Dr. Ogechukwu Benedicta Aribodor is an Associate Professor of Parasitology and Public Health at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria. She holds dual PhDs and certifications from WHO/TDR MOOCs in Implementation Research, Community Engagement, and Health Impact. Her work focuses on schistosomiasis, female genital schistosomiasis (FGS), soil-transmitted helminthiasis, adolescent health, and gender equity. She has led health interventions and research projects funded by the World Health Organization, the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, and the Academic Staff Union of Universities. These projects have reached over 3,000 individuals, including adolescents, school-aged children, and rural community members, through close collaboration with State and Federal Ministries of Health. She pioneered FGS research in Anambra State to inform integrated adolescent and community health programming. She is the current Program Manager of the Social Innovation in Health Initiative (SIHI) Nigeria Hub and a SIHI Fellow. As a SIHI Fellow, she pilot-tested the WHO HERMES Mentorship Guide, contributed to the global designathon for HERMES 2.0, and used the guide to establish the first formal mentorship programme for early-career female academics in her institution. She also co-led the global development of the Social Innovation in Health Learning Competencies and currently serves on the steering committee for the WHO, SESH, and SIHI Youth Co-Creation for Health Practical Guide. In her academic role, she has supervised over 80 undergraduate students and 4 Master’s students to completion and is currently supervising 3 Master’s, 2 doctoral, and 7 undergraduate students. Dr. Aribodor has authored over 40 peer-reviewed publications, won several national and international research grants, and reviews for PLOS NTDs, BMC Public Health, BMJ Open among others. She is a fellow of AREF, SIHI, MeBOP, and ISGlobal, and has presented her work in the USA, United Kingdom (London, Liverpool), Austria (Vienna), Denmark (Copenhagen), Rwanda (Kigali), Ethiopia (Addis Ababa), Tanzania (Dar es Salaam), Ghana (Accra), South Africa and South Korea (Seoul). She is a member of Rotary International, the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH), the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (RSTMH), and the Parasitology and Public Health Society of Nigeria (PPSN).

Dr Chinyere Ukamaka Onubogu is a Reader in the Department of Paediatrics, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, and a Consultant Pediatrician at NAUTH, Nnewi. With over 15 years of clinical and academic experience, she specializes in neonatal care, pediatric/adolescent HIV, and prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT). She is currently completing a PhD in Tropical Pediatrics and holds an MSc in Tropical Pediatrics, in addition to fellowships from the West African College of Physicians and the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria. Dr. Onubogu has served in various leadership roles including Chair of the NAUTH Health Research Ethics Committee, National Chair of MWAN’s Maternal and Child Health Committee, and South East Coordinator for the PAN/UNICEF Pneumonia Subcommittee. She also coordinates research in her department and mentors emerging researchers. Her research engagements include WHO/TDR-funded health innovation case studies (as a member of SIHI Nigeria), a TETFund-supported project on maternal triplex infections, a WHO-funded maternal/perinatal e-database, and contributions to the AAP/PAN Human-Centered Design curriculum on immunization. She also mentors youth-led HIV PrEP innovation projects and leads a study on adipokines in HIV-exposed newborns. Dr. Onubogu has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications on pediatric HIV, PMTCT, immunization, and neonatal health, and is actively involved in advocacy, training, and research that inform national health policy.

Mr. Kingsley Chike Anigbogu is a Lecturer I in the Department of Sociology/Anthropology at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria. He holds a B.Sc. (Hons) in Sociology/Anthropology, M.Sc. in Industrial Sociology, and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Industrial Relations. He is proficient in Microsoft Office and SPSS, with over a decade of teaching and research experience. His research spans disability inclusion, migration, human trafficking, education, and gender. He has contributed to high-impact projects funded by UNICEF, Emory University, DFID, and TETFund, serving in various roles including research assistant, consultant researcher, and field supervisor. His work has informed national studies on menstrual hygiene management, special education needs, and the vulnerabilities of persons with disabilities. Mr. Anigbogu co-authored a 2022 article in BMJ Innovations on health-related social innovations for universal health coverage in Nigeria. He continues to engage in multidisciplinary research and capacity building to promote social development and evidence-based policy.