I am a pediatric surgeon at Nationwide Children’s Hospital (NCH) and professor of surgery and pediatrics at The Ohio State University.
Early Life and Education
This blog takes its name from my birthplace Ozara, a small town in Enugu State, Nigeria (the official name, Ozalla, was an invention of the colonial British). East of the Niger, Four Corners, Ozara is the popular junction where Udi Road crosses the Port Harcourt-Enugu expressway. My illiterate grandma, and most people her age, could not pronounce Four Corners, so I grew up knowing my birthplace as ‘Fonkinas’. I was born during the Nigerian civil conflict that quickly exploded into the Biafran war. We were refugees during most of the 30-month war and some of my family members were among the 2 million killed. I lost my dad in the aftermath of the civil war.
I spent my early childhood in my ancestral home Ozara, where I attended St. Paul’s Catholic School (later, Central School). My fifth-grade teacher, Mr. Gregory Owoh, was my first mentor and remains the most influential in my career. I was 7, maybe 8 when I declared my ambition to become a doctor. I was inspired by my mom, who was a midwife and community health worker. At age 10, I left home to attend Our Lady’s High School (formerly, Chukwurah High School), a co-ed public boarding school at Onitsha, the famous market town on the bank of the River Niger.
Professional Journey
After high school, I enrolled at the University of Lagos and graduated with honors from medical school. I also hold a Master of Public Health (MPH) from Ohio State University. I began surgical training at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria, and moved to the UK, where I trained in various centers for 4 years. I trained at Hope Hospital, Salford, (currently Salford Royal Hospital) one of the University of Manchester teaching hospitals, when Sir Miles Irving was professor and head of surgery. Sir Miles sponsored me for my next post at Wrexham Maelor Hospital (Ysbyty Maelor Wrecsam) as surgical registrar to Mr. Jack Laine. I briefly considered surgical oncology, so in 1993 Sir Miles arranged a visit for me with Dr. Leslie Blumgart at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Through Dr. Blumgart, I learned of Dr. Walter Lawrence Jr., who was a former president of the American Cancer Society and had established the first division of surgical oncology in the US at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). Also, I learned that the great pediatric surgeon, Arnold Salzberg MD, was the chief of pediatric surgery at VCU. So, I determined to apply for residency at VCU where I could explore my subspecialty interest in either surgical oncology or pediatric surgery.
My fascination with pediatric surgery began during my time in Manchester, when I had the rare opportunity to operate with the talented pediatric surgeon Mr. Adrian Bianchi (of the Bianchi intestinal lenghtening procedure). During my visit to VCU, I interviewed with Dr. Lawrence and Dr. Heber Newsome, a general surgeon who would later become Dean of the VCU School of Medicine. However, my first interview had been with Arnold Salzberg MD (Arnie), who left an indelible impression on me. I was fortunate to match into the VCU general surgery residency, and the following year (1994), I moved from North Wales to Richmond, VA to begin surgical training all over again. After my first intern rotation, on the surgical oncology service, I realized I would not become a cancer surgeon. Arnie immediately took me under his wings and inspired me to pursue a path in pediatric surgery. After Arnie passed in 1996, it was Dr. Charles Bagwell who paved the path for my unlikely success in the pediatric surgery match. After completing residency in 2001, I was extremely fortunate to become the first trainee of the then new pediatric surgery program director at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Henri R. Ford, MD, currently Dean and Chief Academic Officer, Leonard Miller School of Medicine of the University of Miami, Miami, FL.
I joined the Department of Surgery at Ohio State Wexner Medical Center in 2003, and currently serve as Vice-Chair for Global Surgery. At NCH, I serve as Director of Surgical Education for Surgical Services, Director of the Pediatric Surgery Residency Training Program, and Surgical Director of the Center for Pediatric and Adolescent Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Also at The Ohio State University, I have served in various roles, including on the Executive Committee of the Global One Health Initiative (GOHi) and as Associate Director, Office of Global Health at OSU College of Medicine.
One of my most-exciting projects at the medical school is the Advanced Competency in Global Health Course, began in 2014, that I co-directed for eight years with my colleague Howard Werman, MD, professor of Emergency Medicine. It has become the most popular advanced competency course taken by our final year medical students. My primary interest in global health is in building surgical capacity in low and middle income countries, particularly in my native sub-Saharan Africa.
Leadership & Global Surgery
I am active in several professional societies, including Association of Nigerian Physicians in the Americas (ANPA), where I chaired the program committee for ten years. I am a fellow of several surgical colleges, including Royal College of Surgeons of England (FRCS), Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (FRCSE), Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow (FRCSGlas), American College of Surgeons (FACS), and West African College of Surgeons (FWACS). Also, I am a fellow of American Surgical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics (FAAP). I serve on several editorial boards, including Journal of Surgical Research, where I am the Associate Editor for Global Surgery. I was the foundation chair/co-chair of the academic global committees for both the Association for Academic Surgery (AAS) and Society of University Surgeons (SUS), and in February 2020 I was honored to give the SUS 20th Anniversary Joel J. Roslyn Lecture titled Academic Global Surgery: A Whole New World. I have also served as Chair of the Informatics and Telemedicine Committee of the American Pediatric Surgical Association (APSA), and Vice-Chair of Information Technology Committee of the West African College of Surgeons (WACS). I was president of the Humera Surgical Society. I completed a four year term on the NIH/NLM Literature Selection Technical Review Committee (LSTRC), and served as chair of the review panel in 2017-2018. I am the Past-President of the Association of Pediatric Surgery Training Program Directors (APSTPD, 2019-2021). Also, I have served on several national committees, boards, and advisory panels, including as a Governor for the American College of Surgeons (ACS), a Governor for the American Pediatric Surgical Association (APSA), elected Councillor for the American Board of Surgery (ABS), and Director of the Pediatric Surgery Board (PSB). In 2024, I was elected a Member of the ACS Academy of Master Surgeon Educators (MAMSE).
My published work inludes Pediatric Surgery: A Comprehensive Textbook for Africa. Editors: Ameh, E., Bickler, S., Lakhoo, K., Nwomeh, B.C., Poenaru, D. (Eds.). My colleagues and I began this project nearly 20 years ago with the goal to make pediatric surgical knowledge easily accessible to students, residents, and surgeons across sub-Saharan Africa.
Personal Interests
Some of my other interests include the use of social media in medical education. You can find on X/Twitter @DrNwomeh tweeting about surgery, global health, Africa, Nigeria, or just about any topic.
More details about me:
Global Surgery Program at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
My Nationwide Children’s Hospital page