Board of Directors
Leadership
CCCRN is led by Nigerian experts with extensive experience in clinical care, research and health management acquired under multiple donor led development projects in Nigeria
The team reflects diversity in culture, gender and skills required for effective management in Nigeria. CCCRN is thus able to function effectively in any part of the country and to maintain intimate and impactful communications, interactions and collaboration with communities across the country.
Board of Directors
Abdulateef Salisu
Abdulateef is a global health and management specialist with more than 18 years of experience working in the international health and development field. Throughout his career, he has worked with counterparts across the world to design and implement successful HIV/AIDS health programs in Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya.
He was recently Chief Operating Officer Maryland Global Initiatives Corporation, Kenya, with frontline responsibility for increasing the quality of leadership, providing business and operational oversight and ensuring organizational management systems and processes function to meet internal needs for implementing University of Maryland programs.
Abdulateef currently serves as a Principal and Chief Operating Officer for Solina Group. In this capacity, he is responsible for managing the company’s day to day business operations, including program operations, information technology, knowledge management, risk management and compliance. In addition, he provides leadership for developing Solina Group’s business in focus areas. He has training in medicine (MBBS), public health (MPH) and management (MBA) from the University of Ilorin, University of Lagos and University of Liverpool respectively.
Aishat Akanbi
Aishat Akanbi has over 16 years of distinguished career as an accountant and banker with Bank of the North in Nigeria which later morphed into Unity Bank of Nigeria, where she held several supervisory and managerial positions. She is well versed in leadership roles and comes in with additional experience in managing financial institutional transition processes. In addition to her career as a seasoned banker, Aishat in her current leadership position with the Industrial Training Funds of Nigeria (ITF) brings in her experiences of setting and regulating standards while offering direct training interventions in industrial and commercial skills development as part of corps of highly competent professional staff, modern techniques and technology.
She has led and participated in several community which entails assembling and raising funds for a team of religious and community leaders on health related community outreaches and sensitization campaign in Kwara State.
Anthea Nwandu
Dr Anthea Nwandu is a US Board certified Internist, Medical educator and Global Health physician. Her education has spanned across three countries – UK, Nigeria and the US. She received her medical degree from University of Nigeria in1986 and completed her postgraduate residency training in the US in 1994. She has over 20 years of experience in active clinical practice, medical education and Global Health in the US and Nigeria. For the last 10 years as an Assistant Professor with the University of Maryland Baltimore (UMB) School of Medicine Institute of Human Virology she has provided medical technical leadership for UMB Nigeria programs to multidisciplinary teams in the implementation of large-scale PEPFAR funded HIV prevention, care and treatment programs. Since 2012 she has also provided technical leadership for the implementation of PEPFAR funded Pre Service and In service HIV Training grants in Nigeria focused on strengthening Human Resources for Health. Over the years she has served as a mentor, supervisor and teacher to numerous health care professionals to build and develop capacity to work with HIV related public health programs as well as to practice and teach HIV medicine. For the last six years she has been a speaker for an ABBOTT Peer to Peer exchange program designed to provide advanced educational symposia on key issues in HIV/AIDS management. As an attending physician with UMB she leads medical teams to manage complex medical patients infected with HIV and other infectious diseases.
Her postgraduate training includes an MPH from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health (JHSPH), Instructional Systems Development from University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) and certification in HIV medicine with the American Academy of HIV medicine. Her research interests are in the area of Maternal Infant HIV care and Training Evaluation.
Ayodotun Olutola
Ayodotun Olutola (MBBS, FMCP, MBA) is the Chief Executive Officer of the Center for Clinical Care and Clinical Research and an Assistant Professor at Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases at Georgetown University Medical Center.
He has more than 20 years’ experience in clinical pediatrics, medical research, public health implementation and program leadership. He has invested considerable efforts in the control of infectious diseases particularly HIV and Tuberculosis and Malaria at population levels. He has been Principal Investigator on multiple grants from the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention, United States Agency for International Development and other funding agencies. Through these awards, he has led large treatment programs for HIV and TB in Nigeria, care for Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) and improved local understanding of adolescent health practices at the Center for Clinical Care and Clinical Research (CCCRN). He has contributed to development of several local guidelines, training curricula and management protocols for infectious diseases in Nigeria and has published widely in local and international journals.
Dr. Olutola graduated from the University of Ilorin with MBBS in 1998, received postgraduate medical training and awarded a Fellowship in Pediatrics by the National Postgraduate Medical College (NPMCN) in 2009. He received a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Ilorin in 2013. He has undergone professional trainings at the Harvard Business School, Harvard School of Public Health, and West African Postgraduate Medical College.
Chidi Nwizu
Dr. Chidi Nwizu is a physician with interest in clinical care, quality improvement, capacity development, systems strengthening and implementation research.
Chidi has worked in different health settings starting as faculty with the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons at Harlem Hospital, New York. He subsequently worked in rural Mississippi as an Internist. He was also responsible for providing comprehensive HIV services to a predominantly underserved population and was the Principal Investigator/Program Director of a HRSA Ryan White Title III: Early Intervention Services.
Chidi’s international experience was as faculty in Infectious diseases, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore. He served as Country Medical Director, Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine program, Nigeria and then Country Technical Officer, Center for Clinical care and Clinical Research, Nigeria.
Chidi had his medical education at the University of Benin Nigeria, Internal Medicine Residency at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons at Harlem Hospital New York and Infectious disease fellowship at the School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake city. He has certifications in Internal Medicine and Infectious diseases by the American Board of Internal Medicine. In addition, he has a diploma in Tropical Medicine from the Gorgas Institute in Lima Peru with certification in Clinical Tropical Medicine and Travelers’ Health by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. Chidi also has also completed a Certificate Program in Instructional Systems Design, University of Maryland Baltimore County.
Nwene Ejike
With over 20 years’ experience as a practicing health care practitioner and more than 10 years’ experience in clinical management of people living with HIV in Nigeria, Dr Nwene has been involved in managing various health challenges in Nigeria.
Dr Nwene Ejike, a Nigerian had his MBBS degree from University of Jos and MPH from Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka. Presently he is pursuing his doctorate degree in Public Health. His role in medical and HIV field has been recognized as he was a 2009 recipient of Abbot Travelling Scholarship in Association with British HIV Association and SSAT and is an affiliate member of American Academy for HIV Medicine since 2008 with various medical trainings at University of Maryland School of Medicine, Chelsea and WestMinster hospital London etc .He is a member of Association of Public Health Physicians of Nigeria, Epidemiological Society of Nigeria etc. Ejike was once the Vice Chairman Anambra State Hospital Management Board.
Recently, Ejike was the Technical Advisor Institute of Human Virology University Of Maryland School Of Medicine (IHV UMSOM) AIDSRELIEF program. Presently Dr Nwene is a Project Director with CCCRN. His responsibilities include providing technical assistance/oversight, leadership mentorship to CCCRN program leads while also conducting mentorship and training with the program leads to the service delivery facilities. He also assists in developing CCCRN strategic plans for Nigeria while doing some representational role with USG, State governments and other donors as necessary.
Michael Obiefune
Dr Obiefune is a development expert and entrepreneur with over 30 yrs experience in systems strengthening in resource-constrained environments, in both developed and developing countries. He is the founding director of several local organizations in Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Haiti. He is primarily a clinician and the author of several peer-reviewed publications. Research and Clinical Programs managed by Dr. Obiefune has supported, at various periods, Health Systems in over 2000 Health facilities in Nigeria, in over 26 states, in the 6 regions of Nigeria. He was a pioneer member of many National Technical Working Groups for HIV, and has worked collaboratively with faith-based organizations, local, state and national agencies on sustainable human capacity development and systems strengthening, in traditional, as well as non-traditional health facilities including traditional birth centers and attendants. Dr. Michael Obiefune is Director and Board Chair, Center for Clinical Care and Clinical Research Nigeria. He has been previously Executive Director, of Partners for Prevention, education, Training, Treatment and Research (PeTR – Unique Global Services) Nigeria; Executive Director of Maryland Global Initiative Corporation, Nigeria; Africa Regional Director, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Institute of Human Virology International Programs, responsible for West Africa; a Director of Global Health Services Network (GHSN), Farmington, Michigan, USA, a Health Infrastructure Development Organization. He obtained his medical degree in Nigeria at the University of Lagos in 1985, and additional training in Surgery in United Kingdom, and Residency training in Family & Community Medicine in the United States. His career has been focused on Clinical Practice, Clinical Research, Community-based Participatory Research, Medical Education, Human Resources for Health Development, Health Systems Strengthening, Health Programs Development, Implementation Science, Health Infrastructures Development (Construction and Rehabilitation), and Health Informatics.
Dr. Obiefune is currently an Assistant Professor with University of Maryland USA, and the Global Affairs Medial Director of the Global Health Program.
Juliana Adah Ojoh
Juliana Adah Ojoh is a seasoned Finance Management Professional with more than 17 years of continuous work experience with private, public, and not-for-profit organizations as a Certified Public Accountant. She obtained her B.Sc. Accounting, and MBA from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; and Advanced Management Certificate in Executive Leadership from Cornell University, New York.
Skilled in Finance, Compliance, Administration and Grant Management, Julie has managed projects with cumulative budgets of over $US220Million. She has vast experience working with international and local organizations and coordinated startup of several projects and closed out over seven (7) projects with no questioned or disallowed cost to the organization.
Presently, Juliana is the Finance, Grant and Admin Advisor with West African Centre for Public Health & Development (CGH-University of Manitoba). Her responsibilities includes: designing, developing and managing an effective financial, grants and administrative system that meets donor compliant structure and ensure minimal risk; organizing capacity building sessions for staff on Budgeting, Cash Management and Internal control; monitor effective budget implementation to avoid any budget overrun and design close out and inventory transfer for all donor funded project.
Mrs. Nike Becky Kehinde
Mrs Nike is a trained Nurse practitioner with bachelor of Nursing science and other numerous training courses. In the last 15 years, she has served as health program expert with PEPFAR/CDC funded HIV programs in Nigeria and received awards and recognitions for her outstanding experience and innovative contribution to HIV program in Nigeria and African. She has worked in various capacities with University of Maryland Baltimore, Maryland Global Initiative Cooperation Nigeria and Center for Clinical care and Clinical Research Nigeria. In the course of her service, she supervises senior clinical advisors within the organisation and from partnering organisations to activate and support over a hundred health facilities to provide comprehensive HIV program including for key population in Nigeria.
Recently, she championed the development of an application process for a successful key population funding in Benue State and is currently heading the technical team in its implementation. She coordinates the key population activities of the project personnel, sub grantees and other stakeholders to ensure that the program meets set goals in accordance with approved performance monitoring plan. Her long term HIV related work experience in Benue state-a state among the top two HIV prevalent states with large number of key population in Nigeria- coupled with implementing HIV projects across all geopolitical zones of Nigeria and five other African countries, gives her an edge for hands-on implementation of HIV project among key population.