Cohort 
2020

Obiora Okoye, MD, MPH

Global Public Health Researcher

We need to influence the regional and global-policy environment to address determinants of brain health and to engage relevant stakeholders in far-reaching ways to advance regional research priorities.

Current Work

Obi is a global public health professional interested in neurocognitive research, medical education, brain-health diplomacy, care navigation, and migrant health.

Personal Hero

Maya Angelou

Words of Strength

Connecting and building relationships

Vision

To reduce the impact of the looming aging crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa, Obi believes we need to influence the regional and global-policy environment to address determinants of brain health and to engage relevant stakeholders in far-reaching ways to advance regional research priorities.

Strategy

Obi will leverage his entrepreneurial, digitization, and leadership skills to design and implement a robust brain health initiative in Sub-Saharan Africa. The initiative will ensure stigma reduction, prioritize prevention, early detection, and treatment of neurocognitive disorders.

Impact

Obi will work to create a collaborative across Sub-Saharan Africa to ensure the prioritization of brain health on the public-health agenda. He plans to develop a pilot program to support patients and caregivers in Sub-Saharan Africa, where access to health facilities and brain-health specialists is limited.

Motivation

Dementia is a major public health problem and could become a real “tsunami” in the next decades as the aging population rises in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Education & Experience

Obiora completed his undergraduate degree in biochemistry at Nnamdi Azikiwe University and medical training at the University of Ibadan. He completed a diploma in Global Health at the University of Tampere, a fellowship in Global Medical Education at the Association of American Medical Colleges and an MPH Degree with a focus on Global Health at the University of Washington. He has won several awards, scholarships and fellowships, including the Distinguished Alumni Leadership Award at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, as well as the Global Health Travel Grant by the Finnish Medical Society Duodecim and the University of Tampere Medical School, Finland. Obiora has led the design and implementation of various care navigation, medical education and public health interventions in the United States, Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. He brings extensive experience in patient and caregiver support programs, technological innovation, entrepreneurship and international program development. In 2019, he participated in a Summer Research Training Program at UCSF Glial Tumor Neuroplasticity Laboratory and observed the impact of neurocognitive impairment on patients and their families. This research experience sparked his interest in exploring factors that could improve the cognitive and emotional function of adults with brain-health challenges in low- and middle-income countries.

Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI)
current
Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health
University of Washington
Global Health
MPH
Association of American Medical Colleges
Global Medical Education
Fellowship
University of Tampere
Global Health
Diploma
University of Ibadan
MD
Nnamdi Azikiwe University
Biochemistry
BS

Awards & Honors

University of Ibadan, Nigeria
Distinguished Alumni Leadership Award
Finnish Medical Society Duodecim and the University of Tampere Medical School, Finland
Global Health Travel Grant