Dr. Chika K. Onwuamah (Ph.D)
Deputy Director and HOD, Microbiology Department, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR)
Dr Chika Kingsley ONWUAMAH, PhD (Cell Biology and Genetics), is a deputy director and the Head of the Microbiology Department at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR). He is also the Team Lead of the Population Genomics and Cancer Group, Centre for Human Virology and Genomics, NIMR. From 2006 to 2017, he coordinated quality control and assurance in Nigeria’s first ISO 15189:2012 accredited public laboratory – The Centre for Human Virology and Genomics. He then led this Centre from 2017 to January 2020.
Dr. Onwuamah earned a Ph.D. in Cell Biology and Genetics from the University of Lagos, working on the genotoxic effects of antiretroviral drugs. His work established a solid foundation for understanding the cellular mechanisms of drug therapies. Dr Onwuamah is a prominent biomedical scientist whose work in virology, genomics, and public health has significantly impacted Nigeria and globally. His career focused on multi-omics approaches and integrating bioinformatics to tackle HIV, tuberculosis, and COVID-19.
In 2020, Dr Onwuamah developed Nigeria’s SARS-CoV-2 Isothermal Molecular Assay, an affordable and effective diagnostic assay for COVID-19 within 36 minutes and amenable for use in resource-constrained settings. This achievement earned him the 2020 Innovation Recognition Award from the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research and the Impact Africa Summit 2020 Pharma award for Health Innovation Excellence in Africa. His studies on the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among healthcare workers in Nigeria provided valuable data that influenced public health strategies during the pandemic, including vaccination decisions. His work on SARS-CoV-2 in Nigeria significantly shaped the nation’s pandemic response and diagnosis.
Throughout his career, Dr. Onwuamah has established critical research collaborations with international institutions such as Harvard University, Emory University, the US Centre for Disease Control and the China Centre for Disease Control. These partnerships have facilitated molecular diagnostics, pathogen detection, and genomic surveillance research. Thus, his collaborative research on tuberculosis and HIV drug resistance has informed national and global health policies, driving strategic responses to these critical health challenges. He led the effort to sequence over 1000 HIV specimens for the Nigeria HIV/AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey, contributing to a deeper understanding of HIV epidemiology and drug resistance in Nigeria. His research on HIV drug resistance has been instrumental in informing the World Health Organization’s HIVResNet program, which shapes policies on mitigating HIV drug resistance across Africa.
Dr. Onwuamah’s research output is vast, with over 60 peer-reviewed publications. His work covers the epidemiology of malaria, HIV, tuberculosis, high-risk human papillomavirus and COVID-19. Dr. Onwuamah is a Senior Lecturer at Lead City University, supervising Ph.D. candidates and teaching genetics and genomics. His mentorship has had a profound impact on his students, many of whom have gone on to become prominent researchers. His commitment to education extends beyond the classroom, with involvement in capacity-building initiatives across Nigeria for bioinformatics and genomics. These efforts have enhanced Nigeria’s ability to engage in cutting-edge research and participate in global health initiatives.
Dr. Onwuamah’s leadership also extends into clinical research and healthcare policy. He is a key opinion leader for Thermo Fisher Scientific on HIV drug resistance. He was the Chair of the annual NIMR International Conference on Health Advances, Innovation, and Research (ICHAIR) from 2021-2022, after serving as the chair of the scientific committee since 2014. In this capacity, he fosters scientific discourse and facilitates collaborations between Nigerian scientists and their global counterparts, underscoring his dedication to advancing Nigeria’s research profile on the international stage.
To develop sustainable health interventions, Dr Onwuamah is interested in using “multi-omics” research to understand host-pathogen-environment inter-relationships.
