Chinyere Ukaga (''née'' Dallah; was born October 8, 1966) is a

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the de ...

parasitology Parasitology is the study of parasites, their host (biology), hosts, and the relationship between them. As a List of biology disciplines, biological discipline, the scope of parasitology is not determined by the organism or environment in questio ...

in the department of Animal and Environmental Biology,

Imo State University The Imo State University (IMSU) in Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria was established in 1981 through law No. 4 passed by the Imo State House of Assembly. The university admitted the first intake of 392 pioneer students on 23 October 1981. After the ...

Owerri Owerri ( , ) is the capital city of Imo State in Nigeria, set in the heart of Igboland. It is also the state's largest city, followed by Orlu, Nigeria, Orlu, Okigwe and Ohaji/Egbema. Owerri consists of three Local Government Areas of Nigeria, Loc ...

Education

Ukaga completed her O'level at Federal Government Girls Secondary school,

Onitsha Onitsha ( or simply ''Ọ̀nị̀chà'') is a city on the eastern bank of the Niger River, in Anambra State, Nigeria. Onitsha along with various cities and towns in southern Anambra State, northern Imo State and neighboring Delta State on the we ...

(1978 - 1983) before proceeding to

University of Nigeria, Nsukka A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...

where she attained a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

Zoology Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the anatomy, structure, embryology, Biological classification, classification, Ethology, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinction, extinct, and ...

(1983 - 1987), a

master's A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

degree in Medical Parasitology (1987 - 1989) and a doctorate degree in the same field (1999). Her Ph.D. program which was supported by a grant from the Tropical Diseases Research (TDR)/

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...

(WHO). Ukaga won the

University of Nigeria Nsukka The University of Nigeria, commonly referred to as UNN, is a federal and public research university located in Nsukka, Enugu State, South-east Nigeria. Founded in 1955 by Nnamdi Azikiwe who was Governor-General of Nigeria between 1960 and 1963 ...

Vice chancellor A vice-chancellor (commonly called a VC) serves as the chief executive of a university in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Kenya, other Commonwealth countr ...

Chancellor's post graduate prize and Faculty post graduate prize as the best graduating Ph.D. student for the 1998–1999 academic session.

Career and research

Ukaga started her career as a research officer with

UNDP The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development. The UNDP emphasizes on developing local capacity towar ...

WORLD BANK The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...

WHO The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and has 6 regional offices and 15 ...

Onchocerciasis Onchocerciasis, also known as river blindness, is a disease caused by infection with the parasitic worm ''Onchocerca volvulus''. Symptoms include severe itching, bumps under the skin, and blindness. It is the second-most common cause of blindne ...

Control Project in Achi, Oji - River Local Government Area, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Enugu, Department of Pharmacology,

Enugu Enugu () verbally pronounced as "Enụgwụ" by the Igbo indigenes is a state in the South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered to the north by the states of Benue and Kogi, Ebonyi State to the east and southeast, Abia State to the so ...

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

(1989 – 1992) where her duties consisted mainly of the collection, examination and identification/analysis of parasitological data in the environs. She began her career in

, Owerri in

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

as an assistant lecturer in 1994. She rose through the ranks (Lecturer 2, Lecturer 1. Senior Lecturer, Associate Professor) to become a professor of

Public Health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the de ...

Parasitology Parasitology is the study of parasites, their host (biology), hosts, and the relationship between them. As a List of biology disciplines, biological discipline, the scope of parasitology is not determined by the organism or environment in questio ...

. She has also served as the Director, Consultancy Services Unit of Imo State University Owerri. As the Director of Academic planning, she represents Imo State University in the Nigerian Universities System Ranking of the

National Universities Commission The National Universities Commission (NUC) is a Nigerian government agency set up to regulate higher education in Nigeria. NUC, as it is popularly called, was established in 1962 as an advisory agency in the cabinet office. In 1974, it became a ...

. She is also a certified accreditor of higher institutions. Ukaga was the national president of the Parasitology and Public Health Society of Nigeria 2016 - 2021, an association that champions and brings visibility to

Neglected tropical diseases Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a diverse group of tropical infections that are common in low-income populations in developing regions of Africa, Asia, and the Americas. They are caused by a variety of pathogens, such as viruses, bacteri ...

(NTDs). As the president, she endorsed the

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

Declaration of Support for an SDG Global Indicator for NTDs. Ukaga was in the team that drew up a framework to guide African nations in creating master-plans for the control and elimination of NTDs in line with WHO Roadmap, 2030. She is a council member (African region), and serves on the Research Grant Committee of the

International Society for Infectious Diseases The International Society for Infectious Diseases (ISID), established in 1986, is a nonprofit organization that monitors infectious diseases on a global scale. It also offers grants and fellowships, publishes a journal, and runs online learning p ...

(ISID). She is also the project adviser to S-DELI, an organization that promotes Literacy for the Deaf through sign languages in Nigerian

indigenous language An indigenous language, or autochthonous language, is a language that is native to a region and spoken by its indigenous peoples. Indigenous languages are not necessarily national languages but they can be; for example, Aymara is both an indigen ...

s. She is a Council member, Parasitology and Public Health Society, Nigeria 2021–2024.

Personal life

Ukaga is married to Stanley Roberts Ukaga, the chief operating officer of STK biotech company, where she also serves privately as the research and training coordinator. They have four children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ukaga, Chinyere Nigerian parasitologists 1966 births Living people Nigerian public health doctors University of Nigeria alumni