Dr. Onyeka Christian Ugwu

Public Health Physician • Program Manager, NTD-Mission (Hope Rises International)
[email protected]
DR. ONYEKA UGWU

Professional Associations

  • Nigerian Medical Association (NMA)
  • Medical and Dental Consultants' Association
  • The Union Against TB & Lung Disease
  • Association of Public Health Physicians

Works with

  • Hope Rises International (HRI)
  • Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Health
  • St. Joseph Referral Hospital, Adazi
  • Christian Health Association of Nigeria

My Teams & Managed Portfolios

NTD-Mission: Faith Network Active Case Finding (Akwa Ibom) Peer Support Groups (PSGs) & Stigma Elimination Clinical Validation & Reconstructive Surgery Linkage

Professional Background

Over 15 years bridging clinical care, infectious disease control, and program management.

Dr. Onyeka Christian Ugwu is a Public Health Physician passionate about finding missing cases, providing treatment, and ending the transmission of HIV/AIDS, TB, Leprosy, and Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) across Nigeria.

With more than fifteen years operating at the intersection of frontline medicine and health system governance, Dr. Onyeka specializes in translating complex epidemiological indicators into actionable community interventions. Currently serving as Program Manager at RedAid Nigeria, Dr. Onyeka leads the NTD-Mission project supported by Hope Rises International (HRI). His work mobilizes church leaders, peer support groups, and frontline health workers in Akwa Ibom State to detect, validate, and support persons affected by skin-NTDs, transforming religious spaces into trusted hubs of health education and clinical referral.

Prior to joining RedAid Nigeria, Dr. Onyeka served as State Team Lead and Senior Technical Advisor at AHNi in Anambra State, and as Program Manager for the Global Fund HIV Grant at APIN Public Health Initiatives in Lagos. Throughout his career, he has focused on turning surveillance data into life-saving clinical decisions while building high-performing, resilient health teams that leave no vulnerable patient behind.

Publications & Open Educational Resources (OER)

Peer-reviewed manuscripts, conference abstracts, implementation guides, and open learning briefs.

Paper

Faith-Based Case Finding: Engaging Religious Networks to Reduce Leprosy and Skin NTD Diagnostic Delays

Ugwu, O. C., et al. / The Union World Conference on Lung Health / 2024
Faith Networks Download Paper
Brief

What It Took to Make Faith Action Work: 8 Operational Implementation Lessons from Akwa Ibom

Ugwu, O. C. / RedAid Nigeria Open Educational Monograph / 2025
Implementation Download Brief
Paper

The Hub-and-Spoke Model for Enhanced PMTCT and Early Infant Diagnosis Uptake in Primary Care

Ugwu, O. C., et al. / 3rd Conference on Innovations in TB, Dar es Salaam / 2023
PMTCT Uptake Request Resource
Monograph

From Stigma to Stewardship: Akwa Ibom Skin NTD Case Study and Surgical Recovery Pathways

RedAid Technical Team / Hope Rises International Grant / 2025
Case Study Download Monograph

NTD-Mission Official Advocacy Pamphlet: De-stigmatizing Skin Diseases from the Pulpit

Community Health Unit / RedAid Nigeria / 2025
Advocacy Guide Download Pamphlet

Managed Programs & Grants

Active leadership portfolio directing frontline infectious disease control and community resilience.

Hope Rises International (HRI) NTD-Mission

Directing multi-LGA active case-finding operations across Etinan, Ibiono Ibom, and Obot Akara in Akwa Ibom State. Linking church leaders, TBL supervisors, mission hospital surgical referral centers, and 10 peer support groups.

Community-Led DR-TB Linkage

Establishing decentralized notification and treatment linkage corridors for drug-resistant tuberculosis patients, minimizing lost-to-follow-up through structured peer counseling and adherence support.

Professional Capabilities

Core Areas of Expertise

Field Epidemiology & Outbreak Response

Infectious disease surveillance, contact investigation networks, community case-finding, and rapid clinical triage.

  • Active disease surveillance and community-based contact tracing networks.
  • Field outbreak investigation, cluster identification, and rapid containment.
  • Epidemiological data interpretation and high-risk transmission zone mapping.
  • Integration of WHO case-definition standards into primary health centers.

Tuberculosis & NTD Clinical Care

Standardized DOTS protocols, multidrug therapy administration, adverse reaction monitoring, and patient counseling.

  • Decentralized Directly Observed Treatment Short-course (DOTS) implementation.
  • Leprosy multidrug therapy (MDT) regimen administration and clinical monitoring.
  • Adverse drug event pharmacovigilance and adherence support.
  • Patient education and family contact screening in agrarian settlements.

Public Health Programme Supervision

Operational monitoring of primary health dispensaries, health worker mentoring, and clinical quality assurance.

  • Supportive supervisory visits to remote primary healthcare centers and clinics.
  • Frontline healthcare worker mentorship in early symptom recognition.
  • Diagnostic quality assurance for sputum microscopy and clinical triage.
  • Monthly programmatic performance reviews and state TB control program alignment.

Operational Health Research

Field data collection rigor, quantitative survey methodology, epidemiological analysis, and clinical trial coordination.

  • Rigorous field protocol design and ethical community data collection.
  • Quantitative epidemiological analysis and prevalence survey methodology.
  • Implementation science studies to optimize active case-finding yield.
  • Dissemination of programmatic findings to national NTD steering committees.

Affiliations & Professional Network

Institutional partnerships, academic collaborations, and professional registries.

Dr. Onyeka maintains active registration with the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) and collaborates continuously with the National Tuberculosis, Buruli Ulcer and Leprosy Control Programme (NTBLCP), the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, state health authorities, and Christian mission health networks across Nigeria.

Contact & Collaboration Inquiries

For academic inquiries, operational research collaborations, or technical consultations:

Send email inquiry