Ifeanyi Nsofor, MBBS, MCommH
Physician & Health Policy Advocate
Bio
Dr. Ifeanyi M. Nsofor is a public health physician and global health thought leader. He is a leading voice on COVID-19, decolonization of global health, global health equity, global health security, universal health coverage, digital health and health research.Ifeanyi is a graduate of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and Nnamdi Azikiwe University School of Medicine. For more than 23 years since graduating as a medical doctor, he has worked in government, international non-profit organizations, indigenous non-profit health organizations and the private health sector. He was involved in launching two successful health start-ups (Nigeria Health Watch and EpiAFRIC). He served as CEO of EpiAFRIC and Director of Policy and Advocacy at Nigeria Health Watch.
Ifeanyi has led more than 30 research projects across Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, Ghana and Nigeria. In 2021, he led a national survey to unpack Nigeria’s epidemic preparedness prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Nigeria’s response to the pandemic and plans for the country’s future preparedness for epidemics/pandemics. In 2015, he was co-lead of evaluation of the African Union’s intervention to end the Ebola Outbreak in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Since 2017, Ifeanyi has led the conceptualisation, coalition-building, fundraising and implementation of seven hackathons to develop digital health technologies across 3 countries (Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa).
He was recently interviewed by The New York Times on why monkeypox should be renamed. In addition, he has been interviewed by top news outlets such as BBC, Al Jazeera, Channel News Asia, Forbes, The Lancet etc. Ifeanyi is a Senior New Voices Fellow at the Aspen Institute, Global Atlantic Fellow for Health Equity at George Washington University and an Innovation Fellow at PandemicTech at Austin, Texas. In 2020, Ifeanyi was named among 100 most influential Africans by the NewAfrican Magazine and a coronavirus top 100 healthcare professional globally by Onalytica. He is a two-time TEDx Speaker and a MOTH Storyteller . In recognition of his thought leadership, he has served as guest lecturer at the 2021 American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene pre-conference meeting; Boston University School of Public Health; London International Development Centre (and a consortium of 8 UK universities); University of Oxford and School of Oriental and African Studies; University of Global Health Equity, Rwanda; Providence College, Rhode Island; and Enterprise Development Centre, Pan-Atlantic University.
Ifeanyi is married to Omegie. They have two daughters - Yagazie and Chimamanda and a dog Coco. To read all Ifeanyi’s opinion pieces, please visit www.ifeanyinsofor.com/opinion-pieces
Professional Interests & Expertise
Advocacy,Anti-Racism / Diversity Equity & Inclusion Training,Community Health,Community Partnerships,Government,Health and Technology,Health Finance,Health Systems,Health Workforce,Human Rights,Indigenous Health,Journalism and Storytelling,Leadership,Maternal and Child Health,Measurement and Evaluation,Non-Profit,Nutrition,Policy/Advocacy,Primary Care,Public Health,Research,Rural Health,Stakeholder Engagement,Universal Health
Organization
Upswell LLCLearn more about Ifeanyi's work:
Opinion Piece
Decolonizing Global Health Leadership
Opinion Piece
Mental Health Must Be Addressed in Medical Facilities and in Communities
Opinion Piece
Africa: Hospital Debt, Detention and Dignity in Health
Research Publication
Decolonising global health evaluation: Synthesis from a scoping review
Blog
It’s time to channel the high phone ownership in Lagos towards telemedicine
Opinion Piece
Health Solidarity Is Health Security
Opinion Piece
Need to Restructure, Transform the Nigerian Health System
Opinion Piece
Nigeria: Blood Sisters Not Only Entertains but Highlights Important Social Issues
Opinion Piece
Maternal healthcare for women globally needs improvement
Opinion Piece
Teenage girls among most at risk from partner violence
Video
Will COVID-19 become endemic in Africa?
Blog
Preventing tooth decay in resource-limited settings
Opinion Piece
I’m shocked by the racist cartoons and travel bans sparked by omicron
Personal Blog
How Schools Can Address Mental Health Among their Community
Opinion Piece
I’m Nigerian. I’m Vaccinated. Europe Won’t Let Me In
Opinion Piece
How West African Leaders Can Tackle Youth and Gender Inequities
Opinion Piece
Africa: Re: Open Letter to International Funders of Science and Development in Africa
Opinion Piece
Three Ways the US Can Promote Equity in Ending the COVID-19 Pandemic Globally
Opinion Piece
Battling misinformation wars in Africa: applying lessons from GMOs to COVID-19
Video
Dr. Ifeanyi M. Nsofor Discusses Plans by Boris Johnson to Donate Excess COVID-19 Vaccine to Covax
Opinion Piece
Four lessons from Covid to help African leaders prepare for next pandemic
Video
Interview-Al Jazeera News Hour: COVID-19 Vaccine Equity and the African Union
Opinion Piece
Why I‘m An Invisible Man In The Global Vaccine Campaign
Opinion Piece
Africa: Here’s How Africans Can Advocate for Covid-19 Vaccine Equity
Video
Interview-BBC: Dr. Ifeanyi M. Nsofor on COVID-19 Vaccine - nationalism, equity and access
Opinion Piece
Women Need Support and Understanding after Miscarriage
Opinion Piece
Helping Premature Babies Survive
Opinion Piece
The Mental Health Consequences of the Lekki Toll Gate Attack
Opinion Piece
What developing countries can teach rich countries about how to respond to a pandemic
Care Review
Eye Care Globally Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic
Opinion Piece
The COVID Comorbidity Crisis
Opinion Piece
5 ways to meet the needs of people with disabilities during pandemics
Opinion Piece
COVID-19 shows why Universal Health Care is essential
Opinion Piece
The new dexamethasone- COVID-19 study should be viewed with caution
Opinion Piece
Nigeria’s Mental Health Desert
Opinion Piece
Africa: Four Ways Nigeria Can Reduce Importing COVID-19 Via Its Border
Blog
Strengthening Biosecurity Preparedness in Africa
Opinion Piece
Lessons from Nigeria in Responding to Coronavirus
Opinion Piece
Neglected Diseases Kill More People than COVID-19 – It’s Time to Address Them
Opinion Piece
News Agencies Must Paint a Complete Picture of Coronavirus
Opinion Piece
Businesses can help stop coronavirus and future infectious disease outbreaks
Opinion Piece
Why an Ebola Vaccine Is Not Enough
Opinion Piece
Four Lessons to Reverse Inequity in the Global Health Workforce
Opinion Piece
It’s Time to Put a Full Stop on Period Poverty
Opinion Piece
It’s time to channel household expenditures into health insurance in Nigeria
Opinion Piece
Community Efforts are Key When Addressing HIV/AIDS
Opinion Piece
4 ways to end the abuse of women during childbirth (October 2019)4 ways to end the abuse of women during childbirth
Blog
Four ways to address the heart disease-related outcomes of malaria
Opinion Piece
Three Ways to End HIV Stigma and Discrimination
Observations
Five Interventions for Treating Multidrug-Resistant TB
Commentary
Lay media reporting of monkeypox in Nigeria
Opinion Piece
Human-centered plastics recycling interventions can help combat climate change
Opinion Piece
Africa: Rwanda’s Lessons on Universal Health Coverage
Opinion Piece
Tooth decay is a disease of inequality. Here’s how governments can improve dental care
Opinion Piece
Making the Most of the Malaria Vaccine
Opinion Piece
Here’s How the World Can Be Better Prepared to Handle Epidemics
Opinion Piece
Want to prevent vaccine deaths? Show people the consequences of unvaccinated nations
Opinion Piece
Institutionalized racism is keeping black Americans sick
Opinion Piece
Nigeria: Don’t Call Me Chief: The Need to Redefine Respect in Nigeria’s Medical Community