Agwunobi, Nigerian Who Rescued State Of Florida From First Anthrax Attack - UNIJOS Alumnus, Former US Asst. Secretary For Health - To Address World Health Professional At NACCHO In July

By Seyi Gesinde
Dr. John Agwunobi

A Nigeria-born pediatrician, resident in the United States (US), Dr. John O. Agwunobi rose to become the Assistant Secretary for Health (ASH) in the United States’s (US) Department of Health and Human Services and a four-star Admiral in the US Public He a l t h S e r v i c e Commissioned Corps.

SEYI GESINDE reports on the past and present endeavours of Dr. Agwunobi who is still waxing stronger in his public life as the Wal-Mart's top Health and Wellness Executive in the United States.

A Nigerian public health expert, Dr. John O. Agwunobi, who rose to become the 12th Assistant Secretary for Health (ASH) in the United States (US) Department of Health and Human Services, (an equivalent to a Minister of State in Nigeria), is to address the gathering of world health practitioners at this year’s annual conference of the National Association of Country City and Health Officials (NACCHO) in the United States.

Dr. Agwunobi, a seasoned public health professional with years of experience in health care delivery, managed care, and health policy formulation and who is a graduate of the Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Jos (UNIJOS), was, on December 17, 2005, confirmed by the US Senate as the Assistant Secretary for Health (ASH). He was also a four-star Admiral in the US Public He a l t h S e r v i c e Commissioned Corps, both offices he occupied till September 4, 2007 when he was announced by the then President George W. Bush as a Senior Vice President and President for the Professional Services Division for Wal-Mart Stores Incorporated in the United States. The company operates in the United Kingdom, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua and Puerto Rico.

Prior to his appointment as an ASH, Dr. Agwunobi, who had served as the State of Florida's Secretary of Health and State Health Officer under Governor Jeb Bush, from October 2001 to September 2005 is, today, reputable for his leading role in the US public health sector.

Dr. Agwunobi’s outstanding achievements as the Secretary of Health include a leading role he played in staging a quick medical response to douse the unprecedented four major hurricanes that struck Florida State in 2004. Another, which was just a day after his appointment was leading a team of health workers at Florida Department of Health to arrest the nation's first-ever anthrax attack. He also instituted efforts to prepare for, prevent, respond to, and mitigate the effects of a bioterrorism attack in the US.

Now, to tap from his wealth of experience, the Wal-Mart's top Health and Wellness Executive is expected to give a keynote address on the NACCHO 2009 annual conference on the theme, “The New Public Health – Working Across Sectors to Leverage Investment in Communities,” on Thursday, July 30, while another top health executive, the recently appointed head of the Health Resources and Services Administration in the US, Dr. Mary Wakefield, will also address the gathering on Friday, July 31.

This programme, described by the organisers as a “once-a-year opportunity to meet with heath professionals,” will take place in just a few weeks at the Rosen Cheek Resort in Orlando, Florida, United States.

NACCHO, as a national organisation representing local health departments, will avail health workers, who will attend the conference the opportunity of being acquainted with latest developments and applicable techniques in their profession, most importantly on how to handle the 21st century challenges in public heath sector of the economy, at the three-day event starting from Wednesday, July 29 to Friday, July 31. For the three-day lasting, attendees will be selecting from more than 110 interactive sharing sessions and poster presentations, with Dr. Agwunobi opening the floor on Thursday.

Looking back at Dr. Agwunobi’s track records in the public health sector in the US, as the Health Secretary in Florida State, he instituted an advocay for an improved nutrition and exercise to address the state's epidemic of obesity. His department also tackled the insurgence of an acute respiratory illness, (consequent upon the spread of West Nile virus, SARS), infant mortality rate, and helped in lowering the use of tobacco among youngsters in Florida State. He addressed the issue of racial and ethnic health disparities, and improvement in the overall access to medical and dental care services are also part of his achievements.

Even before he moved to Florida, then working as the Vice President and Medical Director of Medical Affairs and Patient Services at the Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, D.C., Dr. Agwunobi, simultaneously serving as Medical Director for an affiliated Managed Care Plan Centre, coordinated activities of a network of more than 2,300 physicians and specialists.

All these skills he acquired through rigorous trainings in medical and public administration. Firstly, during his pediatric residency at Howard University Hospital in Washington D.C., Dr. Agwunobi had an all round experience shuttling between Children's National Medical Centre and the District of Columbia General Hospital, one of the busiest hospitals in the US. After this, he went further to acquire two masters degrees, both in public health and business administration, viz: Master of Public Health from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health in Baltimore, and Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He is also a certified Managed Care Executive.

Dr. Agwunobi, still waxing stronger in his public life, is a recipient of numerous honours and awards which include Public Administrator of the Year, American Public Health Association (APHA), Public Health Hero Citation, and Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters.