Dimie Ogoina, a professor of Medicine and Infectious Diseases at the Niger Delta University, Bayelsa has been recognized among TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world in 2023 alongside President-elect Bola Tinubu.
His novel work in announcing the resurgence of Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox and the new mode of transmission earned him the spot.
TIME described Ogoina as a passionate champion for global health equity, who has advocated for Monkeypox prevention towards avoiding a global outbreak.
“In 2017, when Dr. Dimie Ogoina sounded the alarm on a new presentation of Mpox that he was seeing in his home country of Nigeria, the world wasn’t ready to listen,” Time wrote.
“Recognizing the importance and potential implications for global spread, he persisted, documenting the potential for sexual transmission of Mpox and publishing the data in high-impact scientific journals. As the global Mpox outbreak unfolded in 2022, Dimie’s insights became critically important to developing better strategies to prevent and control outbreaks.”
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Ogoina currently serves as the chief medical director of the NDUTH and the President of the Nigerian Infectious Diseases Society.
His team at NDUTH diagnosed and managed the first case of Monkeypox in Nigeria during the 2017 outbreak in Nigeria.
He has led several other clinical leadership and administrative positions, including being the Chair of Subject Matter Experts for the Community of Practice for COVID-19 Case Managers in Nigeria and Deputy Chair, National Health Research Committee, Nigeria.
His research spans across HIV/AIDS, healthcare-associated infections, infection prevention and control, antimicrobial resistance, and epidemic-prone infectious diseases, among others. He is also interested in clinical governance, quality improvement, and applications of technology in medical education.
The American news magazine listed the 100 world’s most influential people under six categories namely: Artists, Icons, Leaders, Pioneers, Titans and Innovators.
Ogoina along with French international footballer, Kylian Mpappe, were among the 15 innovators on the TIME list.
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