Dr. Cornelia Osim Ndifon, MBBCH, MPH, MResearch is a medical practitioner and public health expert who has travelled for studies and work in Nigeria, UK, USA, Mozambique, Guyana and Namibia over the past 29 years. Her training, beyond core medicine and surgery, covers international public health and research in maternal and fetal health.
Until recently, she was Project Director, overseeing four projects funded by both CDC and USAID. From 2019 to June 2023, working with JHPIEGO Corporation, she lead the Cervical Cancer Prevention under HW21; Global Health Security (GHS) which provided policy support to Namibia’s Ministry of
Health on COVID-19 rapid response and preparedness; Reaching Impact Saturation and Epidemic Control (RISE) which spearheaded the promotion of COVID-19 vaccine uptake; as well as Maximising Options to Advance Informed Choice for HIV Prevention (MOSAIC) responsible for promoting and providing PrEP for HIV prevention.
Dr Ndifon received her MBBCh qualification from the University of Calabar, Nigeria in 1994, Master of Public Health (MPH) from the University of Leeds, UK, in 2004 and Master of Research (MRes) in Maternal and Fetal Health from the University of Manchester, UK in 2012. During the public health masters, she majored in Disease Control, Reproductive Health Programmes and Health Promotion. For the Research Masters, Dr Ndifon focused on intrauterine growth restriction by reviewing the literature and earning a distinction; while in the laboratory she studied proteins that could be used to target treatment to an ailing placenta.
She studied under several Awards including the prominent Commonwealth Scholarship Award, and was recently inducted as a Panel Member of the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission’s Alumni Advisory Panel. She is the Author of the book, “Fundamentals of Safe Motherhood”, and Founder of a nonprofit, Cornelia Ndifon Health Foundation.