Ebele Okoli

Calgary, Alberta

Cell: 587-433-8013 Email: ebelevokoli@gmail.com 

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ebeleokoli127

COMMUNITY MEDICINE AND PUBLIC HEALTH SPECIALIST

To monitor, evaluate, promote and improve public health and human welfare within communities.

HIGHLIGHTS OF QUALIFICATIONS

I am a public health specialist with extensive experience in community medicine. Strong background in primary care, social and rehabilitative medicine, disability studies, and infectious disease programs; predominantly HIV, tuberculosis, Lassa fever, and vaccine-preventable diseases. Highly skilled in community diagnosis, health education, communication, and intervention. Proven expertise in research design, data entry, analysis, and reporting. Demonstrated ability to plan, develop, implement and manage culturally appropriate community-based interventions and projects. Competent in diplomacy, interpersonal communication, customer service, and promoting teamwork. Goal-oriented.

RELEVANT SKILLS AND PROFICIENCIES

● Community Development

● Change Promotion and Management 

● Data Collection, Analysis, and Reporting 

● Excellent Written and Verbal Communication

● Project Design and Management

● Teaching and Public Presentations

● Primary Care and Disease Control

● Fluent English, Conversational French and Italian

● Customer Service 

● Disability Care Coordination

WORK EXPERIENCE

CEO/ Disability  Consultant / Care Coordinator, Community Initiative for Disability Resources and Research Calgary, Canada. 2016 - Present 

● 5 collaborative and solo Research projects completed in 5 years

1. 10 year Cohort study of Primary Six graduating class of The School for the Blind Oji River, Enugu State Nigeria.

2. Provision of Assistive Devices to children of  The School for the Blind Oji River, Enugu State Nigeria. 

3. Assistive Device Needs and Postgraduation Plans of Primary 6 Pupils with Visual Impairment in a Special Education Centre in Nigeria.

4.  A Situation Analysis of Services for Persons With Disability in Enugu State Nigeria

5. Unmet Rehabilitation Needs of Persons with Disability in Nigeria

● Interviews with over 100 persons with disabilities completed in 5years

● Advocacy and volunteering roles as well as providing technical assistance to community-based organizations and support groups for persons with disabilities in Nigeria

Reservist Public Health Specialist Canadian Red Cross October 2021 – Present 

● Extensive training in Public Health in the Canadian context.

● Rapid assessment, Recommendations, providing technical advice / support and Implementation of COVID  19 Infection Prevention and Control measures for Long Term care facilities in Canada.

● Leading teams, working under tight deadlines with multitasking and independent work in both virtual and physical environments, in order to deliver within project deadlines.

Contact Tracing Support Specialist/ Administrative Support V. Alberta Health Services Calgary, Canada. 12/2020 - 08/2021

● Timely detailed completion of case interviews, contact tracing, delivery of public health orders, and appropriate referrals for over 100 clients.

● Teamwork with different cadres of team members in a virtual environment to achieve set organizational goals and targets

● Proficient data entry into several healthcare databases.

● Extensive knowledge and on the job trainings on the COVID 19 pandemic and epidemiology.

Volunteer Administrative Support Medical Mercy Canada Calgary, Canada,   10/2019 - Present

● In charge of Registration for the Annual Gala Night and fundraiser; registered attendees, responded to questions and concerns, educated patrons on the organization’s work, resolved problems in a timely and efficient manner. 

● Assisting the Executive Director in office administration, particularly Member, Donor, and Volunteer liaisons; as well as Customer service

● Gathered and Prepared Excel Spreadsheet Database of current Members and Donors 2020 from several sources

Postal Clerk (Casual), Canada Post, Calgary Mail Processing Plant 11/2019 - present

● Processing mail in a timely and accurate manner.

● Teamwork with an emphasis on proper communication and collaboration to achieve organizational targets

● Extensive knowledge of Canadian postal codes and geography

Route Marshall CIBC Calgary Run for the Cure, Calgary, Canada,  10/2019

● Organized the volunteers on zone 3 of the run route. Assisted, answered questions, and gave directions to runners leading to a hitch-free run

Community Medicine Physician University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu 04/2012 – 05/2019

● Coordinated the creation and implementation of the Lassa Fever Infection Prevention Protocol for the staff clinic which led to a 60% increase in early detection of Lassa fever cases during outbreak seasons.

● The only junior doctor on the team that conducted the largest hospital-based Hepatitis Research on health workers in Nigeria which revealed ground-breaking results, now published in the British Medical Journal (BMC) Infectious Diseases. 

● Conceptualized and executed a project that provided Assistive Devices to children with Visual Impairment at the School for the Blind, Enugu which has led to a 20% increase in secondary school enrolment, post-primary school by the students.

● Conducted a training on Infection Prevention and Control for traditional birth attendants in Obukpa Community, which contributed to a 50% decrease in maternal mortality in the community.

● Provided primary care and occupational health services to hospital staff  in the Occupational Health Clinic. This included Sick-Off notes, Disability assessment and referrals, providing work job reassignment recommendations based on patients's health conditions

● Manned Specialist clinics in the hospital for Tuberculosis and HIV  where I provided diagnostic, therapeutic and wholistic person centered care of patients both on inpatient and outpatient basis. My duties also involved health education and mass infection prevention campaigns amongst high risk populations.

● Administrative and Clinical rotations at the  hospital's  rural health centre: Comprehensive Health Centre Obukpa, as well as conducting Community Diagnoses and Health Education campaigns in the community. 

Welfare and Financial Secretary, Department of Community Medicine Resident Doctors, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu. 2012 to 2015 

●Collected and Managed the monthly dues from the departmental residents

● Provided welfare services to the resident doctors, including organizing for social events

Assessor/Independent Monitor World Health Organisation (WHO) 2016 – 2017

● Designated Independent Monitor during the Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) nationwide Switch in Nsukka Local Government Area (LGA), Nigeria during which my discovery and prompt reporting of trivalent OPV vials, contributed to averting vaccine derived poliomyelitis in the LGA. 

● Implemented Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (LQAS) as a Polio National Immunization Day Monitor using the ODK software, contributing in the process, to the WHO Geographical Information System (GIS) database. 

● Detected the state of unpreparedness of Enugu state for the Pneumococcal Vaccine (PCV) Introduction following a diligent assessment of state officials and vaccine cold chain equipment which led to the retraining of state officials before the PCV introduction.

● Performed Supportive Supervision of Primary Health Care Workers During a Maternal and child health week, which exposed pertinent knowledge gaps among health workers, leading to a report that informed the development of a new health worker training policy.

Assistant Secretary/ Secretary Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria (MWAN) 2016- 2019

● Successfully ran the MWAN center and secretariat for 4 years; managing membership, staff, services and tenants with a resultant restoration of the centre as the number 1 hub for women’s health in the community.

● Represented the Medical Women Association of Nigeria at the United Nations Commission on the status of women in New York which led to the forging of a collaboration between the organization and a foremost American university

● Provided Health Education on cervical and breast cancer screening, as well as Menstrual Hygiene to over 2000 women and girls leading to a fourfold increase in demand for our center’s services in the absence of any formal advertisements

Volunteer Coordinator Nigeria Health Watch Abuja, Nigeria 2015- 2017

● Led Registration team during the first-ever Future of Health Conference which has since become the premier annual public health conference in Nigeria

● Worked as a Speaker Liaison and Stage Management Team Lead during the very successful Health meets Tech Conference which subsequently birthed the annual Health meets Tech Hackathons

● Participated in the first-ever Health meets Tech Challenge Hackathon, where my team produced BabyCare; a Digital Immunisation Reminder Solution which won the second prize of the challenge

Medical Officer and HIV PMTCT(Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission) Doctor.  St. Theresa’s Maternity Hospital Abakpa, Enugu, Nigeria 2009- 2012

● Managed and Monitored the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV program, providing effective leadership of the team that provided prenatal, natal, postnatal, and infant services to HIV infected women; leading to 0% mother to child transmission of HIV throughout my tenure

● Created a team that provided Counselling and home visitation services to consenting vulnerable pregnant women throughout pregnancy and puerperium which in turn, led to a 50% increase in antenatal clinic registration at the hospital

Medical Officer Okpe Local Government Area, Delta State, Nigeria. 2008 - 2009 

● Medical doctor in charge of Orerokpe and Oha Primary Healthcare Centre.

● Provided patient care in weekly Antenatal clinics , Infant welfare clinics and daily general outpatient clinics. 

● Conducted Health Education, Community heath projects, and Advocacy visits to community leaders

House Officer, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku Ozalla, Enugu, Nigeria. 2007- 2008 ● 1 year housemanship following graduation from medical school. ● Duties involved Clinical patient care under supervision in the departments of Surgery, Internal Medicine, Paediatrics, Obtetrics and Gynaecology.  ● Skills gained include sharpening of patient clerking and diagnostic acumen, formal writing in interspecialty care of patients, critical thinking in patient care, patient instrumentation procedures   

Mystery of Light Free Clinic, GRA Effurun, Warri, Delta State, Nigeria. 2008 - 2009

● Clinical duties involving the provision of  clinical outpatient services; diagnosis, treatment of minor illnesses and emergency services.

● Administrative functions, including staff management,  Management functions, liaising with donors, monthly Mobile clinic

Certifications

● Global Health and Disability Course. London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. May 2020.

● Clear Communication Skills for Health Professionals. Bow Valley College. March 2020

● General Health and Safety Course. Canada Post. November 2019

● Basic Life Support Skills: Heart and Stroke Foundation Canada. September 2019

● Career Bridge Workshop: Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS); July 2019

● Diplome d’Etudes en Langue Francaise A2. Nov 2011

Affiliations

● Alberta International Medical Graduates Association (AIMGA); Member 

● Medical Women International Association; Member

● Alliance Francaise (French Language and Cultural Centre) Canada; Member

Publications

● Uptake of hepatitis B vaccination and its determinants among health care workers in a tertiary health facility in Enugu, South-East, Nigeria. Jun 29, 2018. BMC Infectious Diseases

● Zero Prevalence Of Hepatitis B And C Coinfection Among A Large Cohort Of Health Care Workers In Enugu, Nigeria: A Cross-Sectional Descriptive Study. Jan 2018. International Journal Of Medicine And Health Development - Volume 23, Issue 1, Jan- June 2018:

● An assignment of Hope: An insight into living with disabilities in Nigeria. Dec 15, 2015. Nigeria Health Watch

Awards and Recognitions

● Recipient of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria Travel Grant award to the International Conference on Disabilities and Diversity, Honolulu Hawaii

Conferences and Papers Presented

1. Association  of Public Health Physicians of Nigeria Ekiti state, Nigeria, March 2017-      Paper Presentation: Current Concepts in Disability  Studies: An Assessment of the Medical Curriculum and the Knowledge of  Clinical Medical Students of a Tertiary Institution in Southeast Nigeria
2. Pacific Rim      International Conference on Disability and Diversity, Honolulu Hawaii,      USA, October 2017 - Poster Presentation: Assistive Device  Needs And Postgraduation Plans Of Primary 6 Pupils With Visual Impairment      In A Special Education Centre In Nigeria
3. United      Nations Commission on the Status of Women, UNHQ, New York, March 2018 -      Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria official Delegate.
4. Centre for      Disease Control EIS Conference, Atlanta Georgia, USA April 2018 
5. London      School of Medicine and Tropical Hygiene International Conference on      Evidence in Disability, London Uk, November 2019 - Poster Presentation:      Rehabilitation Needs of Persons with Disabilities in Nigeria
6. Association      of University Centres on Disabilities (AUCD) November 2021 Virtual      Conference: In view, Poster presentation: A Situation Analysis of Services      for Persons with Disability in a Nigerian City; Enugu

Trainings and Workshops

● Universal Mandatory IT Training (UMITT) | June 2006| Afrihub ICT Solutions, University Of Nigeria Nsukka

● PMTCT (Prevention Of Mother To Child Transmission Of HIV) Training | July 2010 | Institute Of Human Virology Nigeria/ Catholic Relief Services, Enugu

● TB/HIV Management Training | March 2012| Stop Tb Partnership

● 4-Week Course In HIV Medicine | November 2013| University Of Nigeria Nsukka, Centre For Clinical Care And Research Nigeria/ University Of Maryland Baltimore

● Adult ART Training | October 2016| Centre for Clinical Care and Clinical Research | Enugu Nigeria

● Pharmacovigilance Training| March 2012, May 2014 | National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Global Fund | Enugu Nigeria

● Revision Course in Public Health | February 2013 | National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria | Lagos Nigeria

● Membership Revision Course in Community Health | August 2013 | West African College of Physicians | Ibadan, Nigeria

● Two – Day Course in Medical Ethics| August 2013 | West African College of Physicians | Ibadan, Nigeria

● Public Health Update Workshop | July 2011| Department of Community Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria Enugu Campus | Enugu Nigeria

● Research Methodology in Medicine Workshop | July 2015 | National Postgraduate Medical College Of Nigeria | Lagos Nigeria

● Health Resources Management Workshop | August 2015 | National Postgraduate Medical College Of Nigeria | Lagos, Nigeria

● Master Class Training on Health | June 2015 | IASSIDD Academy International Conference on Disabilities| Lagos, Nigeria

● Hand Hygiene Training | April 2013| Federal Capital Development Agency Health Department | Abuja, Nigeria

● Official guided and teaching Tour, Ranchos Los Amigos Rehabilitation Centre, Los Angeles, California, USA. | October2017

● Official guided tour, Ho’Opono Services for the Blind, Honolulu Hawaii | October 2017

● International Conference on Evidence in Global Disability and Health, Hyderabad, India, February 26-27, 2018| Paper: Current Concepts In Disability Studies: An Assessment Of The Medical Curriculum And The Knowledge Of Clinical Medical Students Of A Tertiary Institution In Southeast Nigeria

● Research Methodology in Medicine Workshop | July 2015 | National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria | Lagos Nigeria

● Grant Writing Workshop, Pre conference, Association of Public Health Physicians Annual Conference 2019, Enugu.

● Enugu State Infection Prevention and Control Training for Physicians | February 2018|Enugu State Ministry of Health | Enugu State Teaching Hos[pital, Enugu, Nigeria

● Combating Buruli Ulcer and Selected Endemic Skin Neglected Tropical Diseases in Nigeria Project @. Pre Implementation Stakeholders Workshop | February 2019 | German Leprosy Relief Association| Enugu Nigeria

●  Orientation for Medical and Technical Consultants in the Buruli Ulcer NTDs Project | April 2019 | German Leprosy Relief Association| Enugu Nigeria