THE RISING PROFILE OF PROF. DR. (MRS.) ADAEZE CHIDINMA OREH (NÉE ODILI)
How She Runs Kaibeya Care Foundation Africa
By Emeka Amaefula
Prof. Dr. (Mrs.) Adaeze Chidinma Oreh (née Odili) has emerged as one of Nigeria’s most distinguished healthcare leaders, public health advocates, policy experts, academics, and humanitarians. Through her work in healthcare reform, medical education, research, philanthropy, and community development, she has built a formidable reputation as a transformative force in Nigeria’s health sector and beyond.
Born on July 19, 1979, as Adaeze Chidinma Odili, she is the daughter of Dr. Peter Odili, former Governor of Rivers State, and Justice Mary Peter Odili, a retired Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. Growing up with a medical doctor father and a lawyer-judge mother created an early career dilemma. During her secondary education at the University Demonstration Secondary School, University of Port Harcourt, she opted for a mixed subject combination in the West African School Certificate Examination to keep both options open. She eventually pursued medicine, gaining admission into the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, where she earned her MBBS degree in 2003.
She later obtained a Master’s degree in International Health Management from Imperial College Business School, United Kingdom, and a Master’s in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She is currently pursuing doctoral research at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. Her academic and research accomplishments earned her a professorial position at PAMO University of Medical Sciences, Port Harcourt.
Prof. Oreh is a Fellow of the West African College of Physicians, the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, and the Royal Society of Public Health. She has received advanced training in leadership, healthcare quality, and policy from prestigious institutions including Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Oxford Saïd Business School, the University of Bath, and the University of Washington.
A Consultant Family Physician and Public Health Specialist, she has held several strategic leadership positions. She served as Honourable Commissioner for Health in Rivers State from 2023 to 2025, where she drove major reforms including the expansion of health insurance coverage, upgrading of healthcare facilities, deployment of artificial intelligence for infectious disease surveillance, and strengthening of primary healthcare services. During her tenure, Rivers State achieved notable success in national primary healthcare performance assessments.
Prior to that, she was Country Director of Planning, Research and Statistics at the National Blood Service Agency, where she contributed significantly to blood safety policies and the implementation of the National Blood Service Commission Act 2021. She also served as Senior Health Policy Adviser in the Federal Ministry of Health and as an Adjunct Senior Lecturer at Baze University College of Medicine, teaching Epidemiology, Health Policy and Planning, and Contemporary Issues in Public Health.
At PAMO University of Medical Sciences — Nigeria’s first private medical university, founded by her father — she serves as a member of the Governing Council and Director of Quality and Safety for both the university and its teaching hospital. Her extensive contributions to healthcare transformation, research, policy, medical education, and service have been recognised with the title of Professor of Medicine.
One of Prof. Oreh’s most impactful initiatives is Kaibeya Care Foundation Africa, a non-governmental organisation she founded in 2017 and leads as Founder and Chief Executive Officer. The foundation aims to break the cycle of poverty, poor healthcare access, and educational deprivation, particularly in underserved communities across Northern Nigeria and West Africa.
Through the foundation, she has led numerous voluntary medical outreach programmes, maternal and child health advocacy campaigns, blood safety awareness drives, literacy promotion efforts, women empowerment initiatives, and community development projects. These programmes focus on improving the physical, social, emotional, and economic well-being of vulnerable populations while promoting dignity and equity in healthcare.
Drawing from her personal experience as a Hodgkin’s Lymphoma cancer survivor, Prof. Oreh has become a passionate advocate for increased healthcare investment, stronger health systems, universal health coverage, and community-centred decision-making. Her advocacy spans healthcare financing, maternal and child health, blood safety, and public health reform.
In addition, she serves as Co-Chair of The Adolescent Project Africa, an initiative founded in 2000 by her mother, Justice Mary Odili. The project has impacted over 500,000 women and families through programmes in maternal health, skills acquisition, youth development, and community empowerment.
Academically, Prof. Oreh has authored and co-authored more than 125 scholarly publications referenced across Africa, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Her research interests cover health systems strengthening, blood services management, infectious diseases, maternal and child health, healthcare financing, mental health, and public health policy. She has also produced over 300 policy briefs, concept notes, and technical papers.
Her research has received international acclaim, including recognition at the International Society of Blood Transfusion Conference in Amsterdam and the British Blood Transfusion Society Conference for studies on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on blood services and donation systems in Nigeria.
Beyond clinical practice and research, Prof. Oreh is an accomplished writer, columnist, and public speaker. Her articles, commentaries, and policy discussions appear regularly in national and international media. She is a familiar voice on radio, television, and podcasts, addressing topics such as universal health coverage, healthcare financing, blood safety, disease prevention, and equitable access to care.
Her leadership and contributions have earned her several prestigious honours, including the Aspen New Voices Fellowship, the Kofi Annan Fellowship for Global Health Leadership, and the Amujae Leadership Programme of the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Center for Women and Development. She continues to be recognized globally for her work in philanthropy, social impact, healthcare advocacy, and public service.
As Rivers State Commissioner for Health, she was outstanding in her sterling performance in uplifting the quality of Health education and rural communities health awareness programmes.
As Nigeria grapples with persistent healthcare and development challenges, Prof. Dr. (Mrs.) Adaeze Chidinma Oreh stands out as a shining example of visionary leadership — seamlessly blending medical expertise, academic excellence, policy innovation, humanitarian service, and community empowerment to build a healthier and more equitable society.
Her rising profile is not merely a story of personal success, but of a lifelong commitment to transforming lives through healthcare, education, advocacy, and sustainable development.
Emeka Amaefula
+234 (0) 811 181 3069
