Bruce Ovbiagele is a Nigerian-American vascular neurologist, biomedical researcher, health systems executive, academic leader, organization founder, and scientific journal editor. He serves as Professor of Neurology and Associate Dean at the

University of California, San Francisco The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in San Francisco, California, United States. It is part of the University of California system and is dedic ...

, Chief of Staff at the

San Francisco VA Medical Center The San Francisco VA Medical Center, also called the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center or the SFVAMC, is a Veterans Affairs medical center, located in San Francisco. The main facility is on 42nd Avenue and Clement Street at the former ...

, Editor-in-Chief of the

Journal of the American Heart Association ''Journal of the American Heart Association: Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Disease'' is a peer-reviewed open access scientific journal and an official journal of the American Heart Association. Since 2015, it is also published with John Wiley ...

. and Founding President of the Society for Equity Neuroscience. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the

World Stroke Organization The World Stroke Organization (WSO) is a non-profit medical association that works to raise awareness of prevention and treatment of stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain ...

, and Northern California Institute of Research and Education.

Early life and education

Ovbiagele was born in

Lagos, Nigeria Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

. His elementary education was at Corona School, Ikoyi. He attended

Igbobi College Igbobi College is a college established by the Methodism, Methodist and Anglican Church, Anglican Churches in 1932, in the Yaba (Lagos), Yaba suburb of Lagos, Lagos State, South-western Nigeria. It is still on its original site and most of the or ...

, Federal Government College, Ijanikin and

King's College, Lagos King's College, Lagos (KCL) is a secondary school in Lagos, Lagos State, Nigeria. It was founded on 20 September 1909 with 10 students at Lagos Island, adjacent to Tafawa Balewa Square. The school admits only boys as pupils, although prior to ...

for middle and high school education. Ovbiagele received a medical degree from the

University of Lagos The University of Lagos (UNILAG) is a Public university, public research university located in Lagos, Nigeria, which was founded in 1962. UNILAG is one of the education in Nigeria#First generation universities, first generation universities in ...

; Master of Science in Clinical Research from the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

; Master of Advanced Studies in Leadership of Healthcare Organizations from the

University of California, San Diego The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego in communications material, formerly and colloquially UCSD) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in San Diego, California, United States. Es ...

; Master of Business Administration from the

University of Massachusetts Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) is a public land-grant research university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts system and was founded in 1863 as the ...

; Master of Legal Studies from

Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) is a private research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1853 by a group of civic leaders and named for George Washington, the university spans 355 acres across its Danforth ...

; Executive Certificate in Public Leadership from the

Harvard Kennedy School The John F. Kennedy School of Government, commonly referred to as Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), is the school of public policy of Harvard University, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard Kennedy School offers master's de ...

; and Global Executive Certificate in Leadership from the

Yale School of Management The Yale School of Management (also known as Yale SOM) is the graduate school, graduate business school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. The school awards the Master of Business Admi ...

. Ovbiagele completed a general neurology residency at the

University of California, Irvine The University of California, Irvine (UCI or UC Irvine) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Irvine, California, United States. One of the ten campuses of the University of California system, U ...

, and a fellowship in vascular neurology at the

Academic career

Ovbiagele served as professor and chairman of the Neurology Department at the

Medical University of South Carolina The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) is a public medical school in Charleston, South Carolina. It opened in 1824 as a small private college aimed at training physicians and has since established hospitals and medical facilities acros ...

(MUSC) from 2012 to 2018. There, he held the Pihl Professorship in neuroscience and led the Department of Neurology. He was the 2021 C. Miller Fisher Visiting Professor of Neurology at

Massachusetts General Hospital Massachusetts General Hospital (Mass General or MGH) is a teaching hospital located in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It is the original and largest clinical education and research facility of Harvard Medical School/Harvar ...

. Prior to MUSC, he served in various professorial roles within the

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university, research university system in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Oakland, California, Oakland, the system is co ...

system. He is an adjunct professor at

Favaloro University The Favaloro University () is a private university in the city of Buenos Aires in Argentina. It was founded by surgeon René Favaloro in 1992; it obtained its definitive authorization on October 23, 2003, by decree 963/03 of president Néstor Kir ...

Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), commonly known as UST, Tech or Kwame Tech, is a public university located in Kumasi, Ashanti region, Ghana. The university focuses on science and technology. It is the second public uni ...

, and

University of Ibadan The University of Ibadan (UI) is a public university located in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. Initially founded as the University College Ibadan in 1948, it maintained its affiliation with the University of London. In 1962, it became an independe ...

. He served as a member of the Board of Directors of the

American Academy of Neurology The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) is a professional society representing over 40,000 neurologists and neuroscientists. As a medical specialty society it was established in 1948 by A.B. Baker of the University of Minnesota to advance the a ...

, Ovbiagele was appointed Associate Dean at the

(UCSF) School of Medicine in 2018.

Research work

Ovbiagele's work focuses on improving stroke outcomes for disparate populations around the world through epidemiological surveillance, pharmaceutical clinical trials, genomics, and implementation science. He has led several

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in 1887 and is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Service ...

(NIH)-funded programs that address critical aspects of stroke management for vulnerable and underserved populations, locally, nationally, and globally. Ovbiagele led the Stroke PROTECT program, which served as a basis for the Get with the Guidelines – Stroke, a national and international in-hospital initiative for improving stroke care by promoting adherence to evidence-based guidelines. Ovbiagele led the national policy writing group that projected that annual costs of stroke in the United States would rise substantially in the future requiring a greater emphasis on implementing effective preventive, acute care, and rehabilitative services. Ovbiagele has an h-index of 100+, published over 650 peer-reviewed articles with 30+ as sole author and 300+ as lead or senior author. He is a highly ranked scholar in the field of stroke and has edited six textbooks.

Capacity-building work

Ovbiagele's scientific mentoring emphasizes the research training of individuals globally underrepresented in medicine and science. He has spearheaded neuroscience workforce development initiatives, including the Training in Research for Academic Neurologists to Sustain Careers and Enhance the Numbers of Diverse Scholars (TRANSCENDS), Training Africans to Lead and Execute Neurological Trials and Studies (TALENTS), ENgaging Leaders In Global and local HealTh Equity in Neurology (ENLIGHTEN), and Editors-in-Training programs. Ovbiagele founded the Health Equity and Actionable Disparities in Stroke: Understanding and Problem-solving (HEADS-UP) Symposium, African Stroke Organization Conference (ASOC), and

World Federation of Neurology World Federation of Neurology (WFN) was formed in Brussels, Belgium, in 1957, as an association of national neurological societies. It is a UK registered charity with a mission to foster quality neurology and brain health worldwide through promo ...

(WFN) open access journal.

Education work

Ovbiagele chaired the International Stroke Conference from 2016 to 2018 during which he created several new initiatives including the Game of Strokes Session, Crossfire Debates Session, and Outstanding Stroke Research Mentor Award. Ovbiagele developed and directed several educational courses for the

including the “Health Equity for Neurologists”, “Stroke Update”, “Secondary Stroke Prevention”, and “Therapy Program: Stroke”. Ovbiagele served as the inaugural national medical spokesperson for the

American Heart Association The American Heart Association (AHA) is a nonprofit organization in the United States that funds cardiovascular medical research, educates consumers on healthy living and fosters appropriate Heart, cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability ...

“Power-to-End-Stroke” campaign, which focused on raising awareness about the disproportionate burden of stroke experienced by African Americans, and national spokesperson for the

National Stroke Association The National Stroke Association was a U.S.-based nonprofit organization working between the years 1984–2019 to reduce the incidence and impact of stroke, the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. The association delivered educat ...

“Steps Against Recurrent Stroke” Campaign. Ovbiagele has given 250+ invited academic lectures and 30+ invited community outreach presentations around the world.

Honors

* Member,

National Academy of Medicine The National Academy of Medicine (NAM), known as the Institute of Medicine (IoM) until 2015, is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Medicine is a part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineerin ...

* Member,

Association of American Physicians The Association of American Physicians (AAP) is an honorary medical society founded in 1885 by the Canadian physician Sir William Osler and six other distinguished physicians of his era for "the advancement of scientific and practical medicine ...

* Member,

American Clinical and Climatological Association The American Clinical and Climatological Association (ACCA) is a society for the study of climatology, balneology, and the diseases of the respiratory and circulatory organs. It is composed of physicians residing in the United States and Canada. It ...

* Member,

World Association of Medical Editors The World Association of Medical Editors (abbreviated WAME, pronounced "whammy") is an international, virtual organization of editors of medical journals. It was originally founded in 1995 by a group of members of the International Committee of Me ...

* Member, Aspen Global Leadership Network * Fellow,

International Science Council The International Science Council (ISC) is an international non-governmental organization that unites scientific bodies at various levels across the social and natural sciences. The ISC was formed with its inaugural general assembly on 4 July 20 ...

* Fellow,

The World Academy of Sciences The World Academy of Sciences for the advancement of science in developing countries (TWAS) is a North–south research partnerships, merit-based science academy established for developing countries, uniting more than 1,400 scientists in some 1 ...

* Fellow,

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsib ...

* Fellow,

American College of Physicians The American College of Physicians (ACP) is a Philadelphia-based national organization of internal medicine physicians, who specialize in the diagnosis, treatment, and care of adults. With 161,000 members, ACP is the largest medical-specialty or ...

* Fellow,

Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians of London, commonly referred to simply as the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of ph ...

* Fellow,

Royal Society for Public Health Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) is an independent, multi-disciplinary charity concerned with the improvement of the public's health. RSPH's Chief Executive is William Roberts, while its current president is Professor Lord Patel of Bradf ...

* Fellow, European Stroke Organization * Fellow,

African Academy of Sciences The African Academy of Sciences (AAS) is a non-aligned, non-political, not-for-profit, pan-African learned society formed in 1985. The AAS elects fellows ( FAAS) and affiliates. The AAS also awards the Obasanjo Prize for Scientific Discovery a ...

* Fellow, African Scientific Institute * Fellow,

Nigerian Academy of Science The Nigerian Academy of Science is the official science academy of Nigeria. The academy of science was established on 18 January 1977, as an association of Nigeria's foremost scientists, but incorporated in 1986. It is the apex scientific org ...

* Fellow, Academy of Medicine Specialties of Nigeria * Fellow,

* Fellow,

American Neurological Association The American Neurological Association (ANA) is a professional society of academic neurologists and neuroscientists devoted to advancing the goals of academic neurology; to training and educating neurologists and other physicians in the neurologic ...

* Fellow,

* Fellow, American Association for Physician Leadership * Fellow, AAMC * Fellow, Liberty Fellowship Ovbiagele served as a member of the

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) is a part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). It conducts and funds research on brain and nervous system disorders and has a budget of just over US$2.03 billion. The ...

(NINDS) Advisory Council,

Council of Councils, and

Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respo ...

(FDA) Peripheral and Central Nervous System Drugs Advisory Committee. He is an honorary life member of the Stroke Society of Australasia and Korean Stroke Society.

Awards

Michael Pessin Stroke Leadership Prize (2008) *

American Stroke Association The American Heart Association (AHA) is a nonprofit organization in the United States that funds cardiovascular medical research, educates consumers on healthy living and fosters appropriate cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability and de ...

William Feinberg Award (2021) *

Ron Haddock International Impact Award (2021) *

Stroke Council Award (2021) * American Brain Foundation Mridha Humanitarian Award (2022) *

Robert Wartenberg Award (2022) *

Audrey Penn Award (2022) *

National Medical Association The National Medical Association (NMA) is the largest and oldest organization representing African Americans, African American physicians and their patients in the United States. As a 501(c)(3) organization, 501(c)(3) national professional and sc ...

Meritorious Achievement Award (2022) *

Distinguished Scientist Award (2022) *

Health Equity Research Award (2023) *

Award for Services to Stroke (2023) *

W. Lester Henry Award (2024) * American Brain Foundation Scientific Breakthrough Award (2024)

Recognitions

Service Award for the Power to End Stroke Campaign (2006) *

Service Award for conducting

Los Angeles Unified School District Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is a State school, public school district in Los Angeles County, California, United States of America. It is the largest public school system in California in terms of number of students and the List ...

high school student hypertension Study (2008) * Roxana Todd Hodges Stroke Prevention Visiting Professorship at

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

(2011) *

Visiting Professorship at

Morehouse School of Medicine Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) is an independent and private historically-Black medical school in Atlanta, Georgia. Originally a part of Morehouse College, the school became independent in 1981. History MSM was established at the sugges ...

(2011) * 100 Nigerians Leading Transformational Change. Changemakers: Profiles and Biographies (2022) * Annual Neurology Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Visiting Professorship at the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the Univ ...

* Most Outstanding Nigerians in the Diaspora. Exemplars 100: Profiles and Biographies (2023) * Kaplan Stroke Visiting Professorship,

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

(2023) * Dean’s Distinguished Visiting Professorship at the

University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, the University of Colorado Denver, and the U ...

(2023) * Annual Visiting Stroke Professorship at

Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...

(2024) *

National Science Foundation The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is an Independent agencies of the United States government#Examples of independent agencies, independent agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that su ...

Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Math, and Engineering Mentoring Finalist (2024) *

Congressional Record The ''Congressional Record'' is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress, published by the United States Government Publishing Office and issued when Congress is in session. The Congressional Record Ind ...

Mention for Award-Winning Work in Health Equity Research (2024)

Articles

* Research publications in

PubMed Central PubMed Central (PMC) is a free digital repository that archives open access full-text scholarly articles that have been published in biomedical and life sciences journals. As one of the major research databases developed by the National Cente ...

Books

* Stroke Management and Recovery (2013). Future Medicine.

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, England. * Best Practices in Neurological Care (2014). Future Medicine.

, England. * Ischemic Stroke Therapeutics: A Comprehensive Guide (2016). 1st Edition.

Springer Publishing Springer Publishing Company is an American publishing company of academic journals and books, focusing on the fields of nursing, gerontology, psychology, social work, counseling, public health, and rehabilitation (neuropsychology). It was estab ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, New York. * Intracerebral Hemorrhage Therapeutics: Concepts and Customs (2018).

, New York. * Ischemic Stroke Therapeutics: A Comprehensive Guide. 2nd Edition (2024).

, New York. * Achieving Equity in Neurological Practice: Principles and Pathways (2024).

, New York.

Personal life

Ovbiagele is the son of Bruce Ovbiagele Snr, a media broadcaster, and

Helen Ovbiagele Helen Aiyeohusa Ovbiagele (born 1944) is a Nigerian novelist. She was born in Benin City, and after attending C.M.S. Girls' School, Benin City, and St. Peter's College, Kaduna (city), Kaduna, she studied English and French at the University of La ...

a novelist and journalist.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ovbiagele, Bruce American scientists American medical researchers American medical academics Medical journal editors American health care chief executives American neurologists American neuroscientists American hospital administrators 21st-century American academics 21st-century African-American scientists 21st-century African-American academics Nigerian scientists Living people Members of the National Academy of Medicine University of California, San Francisco faculty University of Lagos alumni University of Massachusetts Amherst alumni Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians Year of birth missing (living people) King's College, Lagos alumni