From Healing Communities to Educating Minds: Nkem Chukwueme, M.D., M.P.H., Dr.P.H. ’23, Carves Inspiring Journey in Public Health
Dr. Chukwueme will Transition from Student to Adjunct Professor, Joining the NYMC Faculty This Fall
For more than 14 years, Nkem Chukwueme, M.D., M.P.H., Dr.P.H. ’23, has been dedicated to improving the quality of life for millions of citizens around the world. Her career began in her home country of Nigeria and has allowed her to travel the globe, making a significant impact at every stop along the way. Her most recent accomplishment includes a Doctor of Public Health (Dr.P.H.) degree from New York Medical College (NYMC) in the School of Health Sciences and Practice. A self-proclaimed lifelong teacher, Dr. Chukwueme will embark on a new journey this fall, joining the NYMC Department of Public Health as an adjunct professor, bringing along an abundance of experience and knowledge, as well as a track record of getting results.
After receiving her M.D. from University of Ibadan in 2005, Dr. Chukwueme landed a position in emergency medicine in Nigeria. Her role began to transform over the next four years. “I found myself very involved in community medicine. I provided a lot of community service,” she said. Dr. Chukwueme noticed increasing trends of automobile accidents with children and hypertension in women throughout her community. These happenings sparked an interest in research and a desire to be more hands-on with her patients. She eventually opened wellness clinics in a village where she was the only doctor, serving as the primary caretaker for 300 women. “I was just doing it on my own. I was spending my money to get their medication,” she explained.
Her work in Nigeria earned her the President’s NYSC National Honors Award – presented by the Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces and the highest award conferred on young Nigerians in the country. As part of receiving the medal, Dr. Chukwueme was given the opportunity to choose which area of the Nigerian government she wanted to work with. She chose public health.
Rising rapidly through the ranks, dealing primarily with infectious diseases, she knew she still had more to learn. “I was very well recognized when it came to tuberculosis (TB) and HIV globally, but I needed to build my theoretical strengths and research capacities,” she said. That inclination to improve led Dr. Chukwueme to the Master of Public Health program at Johns Hopkins University. While there, she was identified as a mentor to her fellow classmates. Her plan was to stay in the U.S. after graduating, but a professional opportunity at home in Nigeria presented itself.
The KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation needed a regional director in Lagos. Dr. Chukwueme answered the call and built a team from scratch dedicated to researching and applying innovative approaches to ending TB. After two years in this position, she decided she was ready to pursue her doctorate degree. “I was looking for programs with a low student-to-faculty ratio and I wanted to further my TB research,” she said. NYMC met her criteria, so she made her way back to the States and enrolled in the Dr.P.H. program.
As a student, Dr. Chukwueme served as a teaching assistant for Adam Block, Ph.D., associate professor of public health. “I learned a lot from him. I became a little less strict and I got to relate to students more closely. I enjoyed listening to their ideas,” she said of her time at NYMC. Despite her experience as a teaching assistant, joining the NYMC faculty post-graduation was not on Dr. Chukwueme ’s radar – that was until her Dr.P.H. research presentation.
Dr. Chukwueme presented, “Prevalence, Trends, and Predictors of Domestic Violence Among Nigerian Women; An Analysis Using 2008, 2013 and 2018 Waves of the Nigeria Demographic Health Survey (NDHS),” on May 3, 2023, in front of a large audience of faculty and fellow classmates. Elizabeth Drugge, Ph.D., M.P.H. ’12, assistant professor of public health, said Dr. Chukwueme ’s presentation did not feel like a presentation. It felt like she was teaching everyone in the room.
Her dissertation may have come across as a teaching moment for the audience because it covered a topic dear to Dr. Chukwueme’s heart. “When I took a look at the data sets, I became so engrossed,” she said. Based on her findings, there are two regions in Nigeria where domestic violence is as high as 70 percent. She also found that domestic violence was higher among women who were employed and had more resources. As a proud Nigerian, Dr. Chukwueme relishes any chance to enhance the health of current and future populations from her home. “I see my work as an opportunity to serve. It also serves as an opportunity to impact. When I see myself in situations where I can write about and do research about Nigerians, it’s like I’m speaking for the people.”
Her plan was to originally graduate from NYMC in 2021, but Dr. Chukwueme took a break from her studies to open a public health consultant firm, Health Maxima, with her colleagues from Johns Hopkins. In addition to being a cofounder, she is also the chief technical officer. She currently serves as a consultant for the World Health Organization and The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria as well. On top of all of that, she is the mother to a son who was recently accepted in the chemical engineering program at Virginia Tech.
In the fall, she will add adjunct professor of public health at NYMC to her already impressive resume. Dr. Chukwueme says students can expect an energetic classroom that is challenging but offers opportunities for one-on-one interactions with the professor. She is excited to share her knowledge of professional networking within the field of public health and she knows she will be able learn from her students just as much as they learn from her.
