Chinyelu Angela Ekwunife

Profile

Chinyelu Angela Ekwunife a professor(2014) at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria is a scientist specializing in Public Health Parasitology and Epidemiology. She holds a Doctorate in Parasitology from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (2003). She has continuously improved her skills through health-associated programs, such as Mass Open Online Course (MOOC) on Implementation Research (IR) with a focus on Infectious Diseases of Poverty (IDP) 2018 and The African Regional Training Centre (ARTC) in collaboration with WHO/TDR on The Gender- Based Analysis for Vector-Borne Diseases and Climatic Change Research (GBA) in 2021, among others. With over 19 years of experience in teaching, researching, mentoring, collaborating, and implementing research studies, Chinyelu has made significant contributions towards the eradication of urogenital schistosomiasis in a rural community in southeast Nigeria, documented in the book “Under the Big Tree” – Extraordinary Stories from the Movement to End NTDs
(https://www.press.iju.edu).

Within her organization, she served and continues to serve her Faculty and the University in various capacities. Currently, she is the first female Associate Provost (Sciences) of the College of Postgraduate Studies at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria. She has led many mentees (over 30), particularly women, into the field of epidemiological studies, resulting in over 50 publications in international peer-reviewed scientific journals, public health campaigns, and the successful supervision of 35 postgraduate students.

Nationally, she was the immediate past National Secretary (2014-2021) and is currently the National Treasurer and a Fellow of the Parasitology and Public Health Society of Nigeria (https://ppsn.org.ng). Chinyelu has actively participated in various health initiatives, including monitoring community-directed treatment with Ivermectin, coordinating the Anambra State Raploa (Loa loa) survey, supporting the development of the Minimum Service Package and Regulations for Primary Health Care Delivery in three states (Imo, Anambra, Abia) of Nigeria in 2017, and leading the Lymphatic Filariasis Transmission Assessment Survey in August 2022. Currently, she is the first Anambra State Coordinator of the Female Genital Schistosomiasis Society of Nigeria( FGSSoN), a society that was inaugurated in 2022 in Nigeria’s Capital Abuja.

Globally, Chinyelu joined ARNTD in 2018 and has served to review proposal applications of 8 candidates for SGP11 in 2018. She is a key member of the WHO Social Innovation in Health Initiative (https://www.sihinigeriahub.com) Research Team, contributing to uncovering health- based social innovations in Nigeria. She served on the steering committee for the crowdsourcing open call on mentorship in Low and Middle-income Countries, contributing to the development of a practical guide through a collaborative process led by Tropical Disease Research (TDR Global). Additionally, she was selected into the six-month iCHORDS (Improving Community Health Outcomes through Research, Dialogue and Systems Strengthening) Mentorship Program in May 2023, serving as a mentor with a mentee from Kenya (https://www.ichords.org) and in 2024 a mentor to a mentee from Tanzania. Chinyelu is a member of the NNN WASH and One Health Working Groups. She is a member of the International Society for Infectious Diseases and a Charter member of the National Association of Artificial Intelligence Practitioners (NAAIP) among others.