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Visting Scholar, UNC and Msc. Candidate, HMS
University of North Carolina(UNC)/ Harvard Medical School(HMS)
Obiora Okoye, MD, MPH, MSc, is a clinical research physician with extensive experience in global clinical development, real-world evidence generation, and health equity initiatives across academia, the pharmaceutical industry, and nonprofit organizations. He serves as a clinical research fellow at the Higgin's Lab, Department of Neurosurgery, University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill, leading and supporting clinical trials and translational research in neurology and neurosurgery. Dr. Okoye began his career as a physician lead in global health programs, focusing on HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention in Sub-Saharan Africa through The US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program. He later transitioned to medical education and clinical development, contributing to capacity-building programs, drug development, and clinical trial operations across various institutions including the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), Georgetown University Hospital, University of California San Francisco (UCSF), Harvard Medical School, and Genentech. In 2019, he participated in a Summer Research Training Program at UCSF Glial Tumor Neuroplasticity Laboratory and observed the impact of neurocognitive impairment on patients and their families. This research experience sparked his interest in exploring factors that could improve the cognitive and emotional function of adults with brain-health challenges. Subsequently, he completed the Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI) fellowship at the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences and Trinity College Dublin, focusing on brain health equity, behavioral neurology, and cognitive disorders. As Co-Founder of the Sub-Saharan Africa Brain Health Initiative (SSABHI), he is committed to advancing neurological care, fostering international collaborations, and leveraging real-world data to address disparities in brain health. He is a Distinguished Global Fellow at the Atlantic Institute, Rhode House, University of Oxford.