Member, State of African Diaspora, (SOAD) Uchenna Onyebuchi Ezeokeke has been appointed by the Government of Republic of Ireland to the Board Of Speech & Language Therapy, another milestone of Nigerians breaking grounds overseas in several disciplines that has continued to make headlines daily
Member, State of African Diaspora, (SOAD) Uchenna Onyebuchi Ezeokeke has been appointed by the Government of Republic of Ireland to the Board Of Speech & Language Therapy, another milestone of Nigerians breaking grounds in several disciplines that has continued to make headlines daily.
Uchenna is a Serial Entrepreneur and an Advisory Board Member of EpochZero, a Nigeria-based Healthcare AI Startup supported by Intel and Nvidia. He worked under the Minister of Trade, State of the African Diaspora (SOAD) and have served as Board of Director for several companies.
Not long ago was Amanda Azubuike who made history as first Nigeria female to become a Brigadier General in the US army. Other exploits of Nigerians abroad have been in law, engineering, sports and more and especially medicine and healthcare. One of such Diaspora achievements was by Dr. Bennet Omalu.
The avant-garde medical specialist Dr. Bennet Omalu, a Nigerian-American physician, became famed as the first to discover and publish findings on the chronic traumatic encephalopathy associated with the high impact sports many know as American football. He came to this findings in players whilst working in Pittsburgh. His work was so profound that it was his discovery published in an article that ended up being expanded into a book titled “Concussion”. This book would later be adapted into a Hollywood film of the same name, in wherein Dr. Omalu was portrayed by famous Hollywood actor, Will Smith.
Other famed medical experts have been Isioma Okobah, in 2017, who bagged the highest medical award in the US as the 2017 Prestigious Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians Award. The award is for practicing physicians in the US who have distinguished themselves among colleagues and in their community by their contribution towards the development of family medicine.
Another famous medical professional is Dr. Oluyinka Olutoye who is a renowned fetal and pediatric Nigeria born surgeon based in Texas. In 2016, he successfully operated on a baby-in-utero. The mother, at the 23rd week of pregnancy had gone for a routine ultra-sound and it was discovered that her baby had a rare birth defect known as sacrococcygeal teratoma, a large tumor located on the fetus’ tailbone. Olutoye led a team of 21 doctors to remove the tumor. The five-hour surgery involved removing the baby from the uterus for 20 minutes so as to remove the tumor and then placing the baby back into the womb for the remainder of the gestation period, after which she was safely delivered.
Uchenna Onyebuchi Ezeokeke graduated in 1999 from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka with BSc (Hons) in Medical Radiography and Radiological Sciences. He started his Clinical Career with the Ministry of Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria in 2000 as a Medical Radiographer. In 2003, he was employed as a Scientific Officer by Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority – The Competent Authority saddled with the responsibility of enforcing the provisions of the Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Act. As a Nuclear Regulator, he played leading roles in gazeting the Nigerian Basic Ionizing Radiation Regulations 2003 and Practice-Specific Regulations for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology as well as Radiotherapy 2006. As a Group Leader, Medical Applications Safety, he was notably involved in the FGN/VAMED/NNRA Projects involving procurement, installation, authorization (inspection and licensing) and commissioning of medical equipments using ionizing radiation and other non-invasive medical imaging modalities for Diagnostic Radiology and Radiotherapy departments of University Teaching Hospitals across Nigeria.
In 2006, he was appointed a Visiting Assistant Lecturer in the Department of Radiography at University of Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria, where he also obtained a Masters Degree in Health Planning and Management in 2010. In 2007, he was deployed to the National Institute for Radiation Protection and Research in Ibadan, Oyo State, which houses our National Secondary Standards Dosimetry Laboratory. He was also involved in the collaboration of the Institute and the Department of Physics, University of Ibadan in the development of course curriculum and programme for a Postgraduate Diploma and Master Degree in Radiation Protection.
In 2009, he was given a Presidential Appointment on Nigerian Vision 20:2020 as a Member Special Interest Group (YOUTH), participating in the whole visioning process leading to the final report and publication of the Vision Document. He returned to clinical practice under the employment of the Federal Capital Territory Administration in 2011 and rose to become an Assistant Director, Radiography Services and also Head of Radiology Department, Bwari General Hospital, Abuja, Nigeria. In February 2023 he joined his current employer, Affidea Ireland as a General Radiographer.
Uchenna is an enthusiastic advocate of Digital Health Transformation and the integration of AI technologies for improved patient management and, also involved in research activities with some publications to date.
Uchenna is a Serial Entrepreneur and an Advisory Board Member of EpochZero, a Nigeria-based Healthcare AI Startup supported by Intel and Nvidia. He worked under the Minister of Trade, State of the African Diaspora (SOAD) and have served as Board of Director for several companies.
Uchenna Onyebuchi Ezeokeke after immigrating to Europe about 2 years ago with his family is making huge strides and is married to Dr. Chikaodinaka Ezeokeke with long experience in Internal Medicine and a passionate Docpreneur (nicknamed Coconut Doctor) with 3 lovely kids.
Uchenna has recently been given a Ministerial Appointment as a Board Member, Speech and Language Therapists Registrations Board under CORU (the Health and Social Care Professionals Council) in Ireland. His appointment under CORU is a testament to exceptional dedication and quality of his expertise and service to the Irish healthcare sector.
Hon. Ebube Ebisike George is the Honorable Minister of Trade and Investment, State of African Diaspora, SOAD), He writes from Abuja
