Dr. Iruka Okeke

ABUJA, Nigeria, 16 February, 2023 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/-Resolve to Save Lives (RTSL), a global health organization focused on preventing 100 million deaths from cardiovascular disease and making the world safer from epidemics, has announced the appointment of Dr. Iruka Okeke, Professor of Pharmaceutical Microbiology at University of Ibadan in Nigeria, to the RTSL Nigeria Board of Directors.

“Dr. Iruka Okeke’s extensive experience in infectious disease control, antimicrobial resistance, laboratory medicine and pharmacology will be important to the continued growth of RTSL Nigeria as we work to further support Nigeria’s progress in public health,” said Tom Frieden, President and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives. “Dr. Okeke is a welcome addition to our Nigeria Board of Directors and we look forward to working with her.”

Dr. Okeke has been appointed to the RTSL Nigeria Board Directors, effective January 1, 2023. Dr. Okeke is Professor of Pharmaceutical Microbiology and a Calestous Juma Science Leadership Fellow at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria as well as a Fellow of the Nigerian and African Academies of Science. Her research uses microbiology, genetic and genomic methods to investigate the mechanisms bacteria use to colonize humans, cause disease and gain drug resistance. She also works to improve laboratory practice in Africa, contributes to collaborative genomic surveillance for antimicrobial resistance and communicates about microbiology to a broad range of stakeholders.

“It is with pleasure that I join the RTSL Nigeria board. This group and its mission are particularly closely aligned to my own priorities,” said Dr. Okeke. “And I’m excited to contribute to an organization that has made such an impact in African countries and communities, and specifically in Nigeria.”

“Dr. Okeke brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the RTSL Nigeria Board of Directors,” said Dr. Ibrahim Abubakar, RTSL Nigeria Board Director and Dean of the University College London Faculty of Population Health Sciences. “I look forward to working with Dr. Okeke to advance progress on the ground and to continue improving lives.”

Resolve to Save Lives has seen marked growth in the past year as it established operations as a fully independent global public health organization. The addition of Dr. Okeke to its Nigeria Board of Directors will amplify this growth further as the Board guides major programmatic decisions and advises on future fundraising strategies.  AMA