Early this year, Georgia Public Broadcasting Network requested its readers send in their new year wishes by answering the question: What do you wish the world could achieve this year? The answer they requested should be centered around a global health and development problem that necessitates execution, but most importantly, encompasses what one wishes the world would do to solve it.
For Dr. Ifeanyi Nsofor, more studies into long COVID research in Africa should be a priority. After authoring and co-authoring 45 opinion pieces on the COVID-19 virus, his choice couldn't come as a coincidence.
Twenty five years after medical school, this Public Health Physician and an advocate of Global Health Equity, Health Security, Universal Health Coverage and Health Researcher co-founded two successful health start-ups, namely EpiAfric and Nigerian Health Watch where he served as the Chief Executive Officer and Director of policy and advocacy respectively.
According to his colleague, Nsofor's ideas and contributions were greatly appreciated in class. His hard work and commitment were clearly evident through his excellent contributions.
It's no wonder , New African magazine listed him among the Top 100 most Influential Africans of 2020 and Onalytica recognizes him as one of the coronavirus's top 100 healthcare professionals globally.
The world would most likely forget his name but not what he has done in the field of Research and Public Health. After leading more than 30 research projects across Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, Ghana and Nigeria, he was part of the team that evaluated the African Union intervention for Ebola Outbreak in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
In his Ted Talk titled "Without Health, We Have Nothing" , his wit, intelligence, and in-depth knowledge rippled across the stage as he discussed the need for Universal Health Coverage in Nigeria. His eloquence, imbued with real-life scenarios, was more than enough to drive home his points.
Nsofor, an eminent Senior New Voices Fellow at the Aspen Institute and the Senior Atlantic Fellow for Health Equity at George Washington University, has made an exceptional contribution to the development and research in public health, revolutionizing our understanding and paving the way for future breakthroughs in the field.
