Maureen Okam Achebe, daughter of the renowned novelist Chinua Achebe, has been honored with the 2024 Faculty Development and Diversity Award from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a leading academic medical center in Boston, Massachusetts, affiliated with Harvard Medical School.
The award recognizes the exceptional achievements of Brigham and Women’s Hospital faculty across clinical care, research, education, and community service. Okam Achebe was notified of her award in a letter dated July 2, as shared by her sibling, Chidi Achebe, chairman of the African Integrated Development Enterprise Public Benefit Corporation (AIDE PBC).
Okam Achebe’s distinguished career includes earning her first medical degree from the University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, followed by hematology and medical oncology training at Yale School of Medicine, and a master’s in public health from Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She is also an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and a director at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Her work extends globally as she leads a sub-committee focusing on the benefits of screening and early intervention for sickle cell disease (SCD) across seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Additionally, Okam Achebe serves as a commissioner on the Lancet Non-Communicable Disease and Injuries (NCDI) Nigeria Poverty Commission, where she plays a crucial role as the sickle cell disease expert. She helps identify and prioritize policies, interventions, and integrated delivery platforms to effectively address and reduce the burden of SCD in Nigeria.
