“An Imperfect Storm: A Pandemic and the Coming of Age of a Nigerian Institution” by Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu
Status: This talk is in preparation - details may change
Please join us for the PSI satellite seminar on Wednesday, 27 November, 17:00 – 19:00 at St Cross. We are delighted to host Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, assistant Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the head of the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence in Berlin, Germany. Dr Chikwe will share his experience as a frontline policymaker in Nigeria during the COVID-19 pandemic and the role of the WHO pandemic hub in pandemic preparedness.

The seminar will take place from 17:00 to 18:00, followed by drinks and an opportunity for networking and informal discussions from 18:00 to 19:00.

Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic reinforced the importance of National Public Health Institutes in national, regional and international health security. The Bill for an Act to establish the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) was signed into law in November 2018, less than two years before the COVID-19 pandemic. This talk will cover the experience of a frontline policymaker navigating and laying a solid foundation for a burgeoning public health institution with a limited budget and manpower. The discussion will draw on various topics, including Nigeria’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic regarding disease surveillance, coordination of testing and diagnostics, the crucial role of public engagement and risk communication in empowering communities, health systems strengthening, and international collaboration. This presentation will also shed light on the work of the World Health Organization Pandemic Hub in Berlin and reflect on its role during the COVID-19 pandemic and the part it aims to play in the future.

Biography
Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu is Assistant Director-General for the Division of Health Emergency Intelligence and Surveillance Systems in the World Health Organization (WHO) Emergencies Programme. He leads the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence in Berlin, Germany. Before this, he was the first Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) from 2016 to 2021. In 2017, he served as the Interim Director of the West Africa Regional Centre for Surveillance and Disease Control. He has held positions in the South African National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), the United Kingdom’s Health Protection Agency, and Germany’s Robert Koch Institute (RKI).
Dr Chikwe recently co-authored a book, “An Imperfect Storm: A Pandemic and the Coming of Age of a Nigerian Institution”, which provides a compelling narrative of Nigeria’s COVID-19 response, a story of resilience and hope in the face of a global crisis.
Date: 27 November 2024, 17:00 (Wednesday, 7th week, Michaelmas 2024)
Venue: St Cross College, St Giles OX1 3LZ
Speaker: Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu (World Health Organization)
Organising department: Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine
Organisers: Jana Lipcakova (University of Oxford), James Hay (Wellcome Trust Early Career Fellow), Ksenia Ananyeva (University of Oxford)
Organiser contact email address: events.psi@ndm.ox.ac.uk
Part of: Pandemic Sciences Institute seminar series
Booking required?: Required
Booking url: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=G96VzPWXk0-0uv5ouFLPkfqJsIz1OHtImXkbS9R4tRRUNTZGQ1NWMkk3UEtZMjAxVFZVMDhaWjBLUS4u
Cost: Free
Audience: Members of the University only
Editor: Ksenia Ananyeva