Dr. Maureen Okam Achebe, daughter of the legendary novelist Chinua Achebe, has been awarded the prestigious 2024 Faculty Development and Diversity Award by Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH).
News About Nigeria reports that this recognition showcases her exceptional contributions to the medical field, and her achievements in clinical care, research, education, and community service.
The announcement, detailed in a letter dated July 2, was shared by her brother, Chidi Achebe, chairman of African Integrated Development Enterprise Public Benefit Corporation (AIDE PBC), through a social media post.
“The 2024 Faculty Awards designation acknowledges the exceptional achievements of BWH faculty in one or more of the four pillars of academic life; clinical care, research, education, and community service,” the letter stated.
Dr. Okam Achebe’s career began with her medical degree from the University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
She further honed her expertise with haematology and medical oncology training at Yale School of Medicine and a Master’s in Public Health from Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Currently, she holds several important roles: Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School, Director of the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Outpatient Infusion Centre, Clinical Director of the Non-Malignant Haematology Clinic, and Director of the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Sickle Cell Programme.
Additionally, she serves as an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School.
Apart from her clinical duties, she co-chairs the data subcommittee of the American Society of Haematology (ASH) consortium on newborn screening for sickle cell disease (SCD) in Africa.
Furthermore, she serves as a commissioner on the Lancet Non-Communicable Disease and Injuries (NCDI) Nigeria Poverty Commission, where she leverages her expertise in sickle cell disease to help identify and prioritise policies, interventions, and integrated delivery platforms to effectively mitigate the burden of SCD in Nigeria.
Dr. Okam Achebe is also deeply involved in clinical trials and translational research at BWH.
Notably, she was an investigator in the development of two recently approved US FDA drugs for SCD.
Brigham and Women’s Hospital will formally honour Dr. Okam Achebe for her outstanding accomplishments at an award ceremony on October 28.
