Dr. Nnenna Ezeigwe is a Public Health Physician with a passion for improving population health through policy, health system strengthening and advocacy, which she championed in over 30 years of service in the environment and health sectors of the Nigerian public service. Dr. Ezeigwe has in-depth experience in stakeholder engagement and extensive networks in critical public health domains. A Fellow of the Medical College of Public Health, Nigeria, Dr. Ezeigwe was at various times the Director/Head of Child Health, Director/National Coordinator of the National Malaria Elimination Program and the Director/National Coordinator, Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in the Federal Ministry of Health before her retirement in 2021.
Dr. Ezeigwe previously served on the Governing Board of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital as well as the University of Benin Teaching Hospital. Her leadership dexterity and excellent team building skills enabled her to galvanize relevant stakeholders during her tenure as the Director of NCDs to develop the national non-communicable diseases multi-sectoral action plan (NMSAP) with robust coordination mechanisms that earned the Division an award by the United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force (UNIATF) on NCDs in 2020. She also facilitated the Resolve to Save Lives-supported national hypertension control initiative in Nigeria, as well as the establishment of the NCDI Poverty Commission, amongst other NCD projects in Nigeria.
Dr. Ezeigwe’s penchant for innovative solutions to public health issues inspired her membership as a trustee of The Environment for Health Development Initiative (E4HDI), a Non-Governmental Organization promoting healthy lifestyle and access to quality health services. She was a member of the WHO Guideline Development Group for the Pharmacological Management of Hypertension in Adults and has coauthored several articles in peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Ezeigwe loves to spend quality time with her family whenever possible.
Dr. Ezeigwe holds a medical degree (MBBS) from the University of Nigeria College of Medicine, MPH from both the University of Lagos, and Rutgers University School of Public Health, New Jersey, USA, as well as postgraduate certificate in Environmental & Occupational Health, also from Rutgers.