I am a pediatric surgeon at Nationwide Children’s Hospital (NCH) and professor of surgery, pediatrics, and epidemiology 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 a colonial invention.) Located east of the Niger at a junction known as Four Corners, Ozalla sits where Udi Road intersects the Port Harcourt–Enugu Expressway. My illiterate grandmother, like many elders in the area, could not pronounce Four Corners and instead called it “Fonkinas”—the name by which I first knew my hometown.
I was born during the Nigerian civil conflict that quickly exploded into the Biafran war. For most of the 30-month war, we were refugees, and some of my relatives were among the two million who lost their lives. I lost my father in the war’s aftermath.
I spent my early childhood in Ozara and attended St. Paul’s Catholic School (later renamed Central School). My fifth-grade teacher, Mr. Gregory Owoh, was my first mentor and remains the most influential figure in my career. I was seven, maybe eight, when I first declared my ambition to become a doctor—an ambition inspired by my mother, a midwife and community health worker, who passed in 2024. At age ten, I left home to attend Our Lady’s High School (formerly Chukwurah High School), a co-educational public boarding school in Onitsha, the famous market town along the River Niger.
Professional Journey
After high school, I enrolled at the University of Lagos and graduated with honors from medical school. I later earned a Master of Public Health (MPH) from The Ohio State University. My surgical training began at Lagos University Teaching Hospital in Nigeria, after which I moved to the UK, training in various centers over four years. I spent time at Hope Hospital, Salford (now Salford Royal Hospital), a University of Manchester teaching hospital, where I trained under Professor Sir Miles Irving. Sir Miles later sponsored my appointment as a surgical registrar at Wrexham Maelor Hospital (Ysbyty Maelor Wrecsam), under Mr. Jack Laine.
In 1993, I briefly explored surgical oncology, and Sir Miles arranged for me to visit Dr. Leslie Blumgart at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Through Dr. Blumgart, I learned about Dr. Walter Lawrence Jr.—a pioneer of surgical oncology at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU)—and Dr. Arnold Salzberg, the chief of pediatric surgery at VCU. Intrigued by the possibility of training under these luminaries, I applied for residency at VCU.
My fascination with pediatric surgery had already begun in Manchester, where I had the rare opportunity to operate with Mr. Adrian Bianchi, known for the Bianchi intestinal lengthening procedure. At VCU, I interviewed with Dr. Lawrence and Dr. Heber Newsome (then a general surgeon, later Dean of the VCU School of Medicine), but it was my first meeting with Arnold Salzberg MD, the chief of pediatric surgery at VCU that left a lasting impression.
I was fortunate to match into VCU’s general surgery residency and, in 1994, moved from North Wales to Richmond, Virginia to restart surgical training. After my first intern rotation in surgical oncology, I realized I wouldn’t pursue that path. Arnie Salzberg immediately took me under his wing and inspired my shift toward pediatric surgery. After his passing in 1996, Dr. Charles Bagwell played a critical role in guiding me through the pediatric surgery match.
I completed general surgery residency in 2001 and was honored to become the first trainee of Dr. Henri R. Ford in the pediatric surgery fellowship at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. Dr. Ford now serves as Dean and Chief Academic Officer, at the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine.
In 2003, I joined the Department of Surgery at Ohio State Wexner Medical Center, where I now serve as Vice-Chair for Global Surgery. At Nationwide Children’s Hospital (NCH), I am the 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. At The Ohio State University, I’ve held various roles including Associate Director for the Office of Global Health and Executive Committee member for the Global One Health Initiative (GOHi).
One of my most rewarding initiatives is the Advanced Competency in Global Health course, which I co-directed for eight years with Dr. Howard Werman. Launched in 2014, it has become the most popular advanced competency course among final-year medical students. My primary global health focus is building surgical capacity in low- and middle-income countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.
Leadership & Global Surgery
I am actively engaged in numerous professional societies, including the 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: the Royal College of Surgeons of England (FRCS), Edinburgh (FRCSE), and Glasgow (FRCSGlas); the American College of Surgeons (FACS); and the West African College of Surgeons (FWACS). I am also a Fellow of the American Surgical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics (FAAP).
I serve on editorial boards including the Journal of Surgical Research, where I am Associate Editor for Global Surgery. I was the founding chair or co-chair of the academic global surgery committees for both the Association for Academic Surgery (AAS) and Society of University Surgeons (SUS). In 2020, I was honored to deliver the 20th Anniversary SUS Joel J. Roslyn Lecture, titled Academic Global Surgery: A Whole New World.
My leadership roles also included Chair of the Informatics and Telemedicine Committee (APSA), Vice-Chair of the Information Technology Committee (WACS), and President of the Humera Surgical Society. I completed a four-year term on the NIH/NLM Literature Selection Technical Review Committee (LSTRC), serving as Chair from 2017–2018. LSTRC is an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that selects the world’s biomedical literature for inclusion in Medline.
Nationally, I have served as a Governor for both the American College of Surgeons and the American Pediatric Surgical Association (APSA), a Councillor for the American Board of Surgery (ABS), and Director of the Pediatric Surgery Board. I currently chair the ABS Education and Training Committee and serve on the American College of Surgeons Advisory Council for Pediatric Surgery.
As President of the Association of Pediatric Surgery Training Program Directors (APSTPD) from 2019 to 2021, I led a national effort to improve fairness and transparency in the fellowship recruitment process, resulting in lasting enhancements to how candidates are selected. In recognition of my leadership and contributions to the profession, I was honored in 2025 with the APSA James F. Densler Award, named for the first African American pediatric surgeon. This distinguished award recognizes individuals whose work has advanced mentorship, strengthened the surgical workforce, and expanded access to care—principles that have long guided my career.
In 2024, I was elected to the American College of Surgeons Academy of Master Surgeon Educators (MAMSE).
Published Work
My published work inludes Pediatric Surgery: A Comprehensive Textbook for Africa. Editors: Ameh, E., Bickler, S., Lakhoo, K., Nwomeh, B.C., Poenaru, D. (Eds.)—a project developed over nearly two decades with the goal of making pediatric surgical knowledge more accessible across sub-Saharan Africa. This book was not written for profit; instead, we raised funds through GoFundMe to purchase copies, which we distributed freely to pediatric surgeons and trainees throughout the region.
In addition to numerous peer-reviewed articles in scientific journals, I have co-edited three other books and contributed approximately 50 chapters to various texts covering topics in clinical surgery, surgical education, global health, pediatric surgery, and inflammatory bowel disease.
Recognition
Among numerous honors and recognitions, I have received multiple teaching awards from both medical students and residents. My clinical work as a pediatric surgeon has been recognized with the Castle Connolly Best Doctor award every year since 2014.
At Nationwide Children’s Hospital, I was honored with the Physician of the Year award in 2019 and the Partners in Care, Partners in Hope: Family Advisory Council Award of Excellence in Family-Centered Care in 2022. I was also elected to the Mazzaferri-Ellison Society of Master Clinicians at The Ohio State University College of Medicine.
My contributions to public health were recognized through election to the Alpha Epsilon Chapter of Delta Omega, the Honorary Society in Public Health, at Ohio State University.
In 2023, the Association of Nigerian Physicians in the Americas (ANPA) presented me with the Excellence in Academia Award, in recognition of “outstanding achievements in leadership, research, teaching.” That same year, the University of Lagos, College of Medicine honored me with the Outstanding Excellence Award for my “immense contribution in [my] chosen field as a worthy ambassador (alumnus).”
Personal Interests
Outside the operating room, I enjoy long walks, traveling, Nkanu music, and audiobooks. Together with my siblings, I co-founded The Peter and Margaret Nwomeh Foundation (PNF) and its U.S. counterpart, PNF-USA, in honor of our parents. My daughter, Chioma, along with her cousins, has joined the leadership of our family’s philanthropic efforts. Through these charities, we support educational initiatives and contribute to community development in Ozalla and surrounding towns.
On X/Twitter, you’ll find me @DrNwomeh tweeting about surgery, global health, Africa, Nigeria—or just about anything.
More details about me:
Global Surgery Program at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
My profile at the Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health page
My Nationwide Children’s Hospital page