Name John Nwangwu | Fields Epidemiology, Infection | |
Institutions Yale University and Southern Connecticut State University
Previous/Other Affiliations: Columbia University, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, Princeton University, National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kern County Health Department, Loma Linda University, University of Nebraska, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Erasmus University | ||
Nationality American, and Nigerian | ||
John Tochukwu Nwangwu is a public health doctor with expertise in infectious diseases and epidemiology, a consultant at the World Health Organization and a professor at both Yale University and Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU). At Yale University, he holds the position of Clinical Professor of Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology. While at SCSU he holds the position of Professor of Epidemiology and Global Health.
Contents
- Early life
- Education
- Professional Certification
- Professional Appointments Academic
- Professional Appointments Hospitals
- Professional Appointments Public Health
- Personal life
- References
Early life
Nwangwu was born in 1952 in Umuahia—now located in Abia State, Nigeria, where his father was a civil servant to the Public Works Department (PWD), a governmental department. His parents, Sidney and Phoebe Nwangwu, were from Ogidi and Umudioka respectively, in Anambra State Nigeria. He is the third of six children
Education
Nwangwu spent his early years in Umuahia where he attended St. Stephen's School, Umuahia, for his elementary education. He was in secondary school at Government College Umuahia in 1967 when the Nigeria/Biafra war ensued.
Nwangwu joined the medical unit (International Red Cross) of Biafra's Army. Following the war, he proceeded to Anglican Grammar School, in Umuahia, where he completed his secondary education in 1972, which was interrupted by the war. He was at Government College Afikpo pursuing his Higher School Certificate, having attempted a term at Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, when opportunity to migrate to the United States of America arose.
Nwangwu arrived in the United States in 1973 and commenced studies at Grace Bible College in Omaha Nebraska. He transferred to the University of Nebraska School of Arts and Sciences in Lincoln Nebraska after a year, and received a Pre-med certificate in Chemistry in 1975, and moved back to Omaha Nebraska where he received his undergraduate medical degree from the University of Nebraska Medical Center, College of Medicine in 1979. He proceeded to Loma Linda University Medical Center in California where he received a graduate degree, Master of Public Health, in 1982 from the school of Public Health He then proceeded to Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City for a Fellowship in Infectious Diseases, and in 1988, he received a doctorate degree in Public Health from the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health He completed post-doctoral training at Erasmus University Medical School, in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Professional Certification
Professional Appointments- Academic
Nwangwu has held academic appointments in the following institutions, Columbia University 1986 and 1988, Yale University 1994, Southern Connecticut State University, University of Connecticut 1996, Harvard University 1998, Johns Hopkins University 2011, and Princeton University 2012. He was appointed to a full rank of Professor with tenure in 1995.
Professional Appointments- Hospitals
Nwangwu has held appointments in the following hospitals, Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City as director for Tropical Disease Clinic, Hospital of St. Raphael in New Haven as Consultant, Veteran's Affairs Hospital, Rocky Hill Connecticut as Director of Epidemiology and Infectious Disease Services and Dana—Farber Canter Institute in Boston Massachusetts as faculty visiting scholar.
Professional Appointments- Public Health
Nwangwu has held appointments in the following Public Health Services, Chief Epidemiologist at the Kern County Health Department in California, Director of Epidemiology and Data Management in the same health department, World Health Organization as Consultant.
Personal life
In working with the World Health Organization, Nwangwu serves the population on a global scale by providing his expertise in the fields of infectious disease and epidemiology to various governmental organizations throughout the world, thus saving lives.
He is seen in the PBS Nova Documentary Ebola: The Plague Fighters, wherein the 1995 outbreak of Ebola in Kikwit, Zaire, is investigated.
Between March 2013 and July 2014, Nwangwu acted as a consultant for the World Health Organization in order to combat the most recent outbreak of Ebloa Ebola Virus Disease. To aid in this process, Nwangwu traveled to Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia three times following the onset of the epidemic of the virus, which later turned into a pandemic. Nwangwu has been featured in several interviews regarding his experience with the pandemic.
In addition, Nwangwu contributes in many ways to the community within the United States of America; this includes serving in many organizations as a member of Board of Trustees. Most current organizations includes Board of Elders and Board of Missions at Black Rock Congregational Church in Fairfield, Board of Trustees of MedSend, Board of Trustees of Overseas Ministries Study Center, Board of Trustees Faithcare Inc., Board of Trustees of Kateri Medical Services Inc., Board of Trustees of Fanafi Worldwide. Nwangwu has been educating and training healthcare providers since 1982.
Since 1997, Nwangwu has led teams of medical providers on service trips to Nigeria in order to provide comprehensive care to thousands. He offers these medical provisions as a way to serve those residing within his country of birth in the form of community service every year.
Nwangwu has numerous publications. A sample of the earlier publications includes publications in The Journal of Clinical Toxicology Consultant, and The Connecticut Review. More recent publications appear in Emerging Infectious Diseases, Annals of Epidemiology, and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group.