Prof. Ekanem Ikpi Braide

MBBS (Sydney), FRACS (Paediatric Surgery)

Professor Ekanem Ikpi Braide, an indigene of Cross River State, Nigeria, was born on March 6, 1946. She holds a Bachelors degree in Zoology (Ife, Nigeria 1971) as well as Masters and Doctorate degrees in Parasitology/Epidemiology (1973, 1978, Cornell, USA). She also holds a Certificate in Epidemiological Methods from Southampton University (British Council Course). She taught in Community Secondary School, Ugep (1966 – 1968), College of Education, Port Harcourt (1973) and University of Nigeria, Nsukka (1973 – 1976). She served at the Nigerian Institute for Trypanosomiasis Research, Kaduna (1978 - 1979) as a pioneer officer/researcher in charge of the Onchocerciasis Control Unit of the Institute. Thereafter, she joined the University of Calabar in 1979 as a lecturer and was promoted to the rank of Professor in 1991. Prof. Braide’s research focus is on disease control particularly operational research, impact assessment of interventions, rapid assessment methods in mapping diseases and community initiatives in disease control. She served as the Zonal Facilitator in the Nigerian Guinea worm Eradication Programme, South East Zone from 1988 to 1998 and on the WHO/FGN Guinea worm Eradication Certification Committee until Nigeria was certified guinea worm free in 2013. She coordinated Anglophone teams for African Programme on Onchocerciasis Control (APOC) multi-country impact assessment of onchocerciasis control activities in Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania and Nigeria. She was a member of the TDR/APOC team that developed RAPLOA, a rapid assessment tool for determining prevalence of Loa loa for quick identification of communities in areas co-endemic for onchocerciasis and loaisis that are at high risk of severe adverse reactions to ivermectin treatment. Prof. Braide was a member of WHO/APOC Technical Consultative Committee (TCC) from 2001 to 2006 and chaired the Committee from 2003 to 2006. She was also a member of Mectizan Expert Committee from 2003 to 2006. She served as member (Alternate Chairman) of National Steering Committee, Nigerian Neglected Tropical Diseases Programme (2007-2018) and is current Chairman, Technical Advisory Committee, Cross River State Neglected Tropical Diseases Programme. She also served as a member of the Board of Trustees of Sightsavers for eight years and chaired the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) of the 4 year Sightsavers DFID funded NTD UNITED project which ended in 2019. She is President of the Board of Trustees, Society for Family Health (SFH) and Chairman of the Board of Trustees, The Leprosy Mission (TLM) Nigeria. Professor Braide is Fellow and Co-founder, Nigerian Society of Parasitology; Fellow, Salzburg Seminar Session 319; Fellow (Vice President) Nigerian Academy of Science. She has received many awards, including, Cross River State 2000 Millennium Award and Jimmy/Roslynn Carter Award for outstanding dedication and achievement in the eradication of guinea worm in Nigeria. In July 2010, Professor Braide was honoured by the President of Nigeria with the award of Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) for her contribution to disease control in Nigeria. Professor Braide served as Vice Chancellor, Cross River University of Technology (CRUTECH) Calabar, Nigeria (2004 to 2009) and as Pioneer Vice Chancellor, Federal University, Lafia, Nigeria (2011 to 2016). She is currently the Pro-Chancellor of Arthur Jarvis University, Akpabuyo, Nigeria. .