Adaeze Chidinma Oreh (born 19 July 1979) Commissioner of Health Rivers State is a Nigerian Family physician,

Public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

specialist and

Universal health care Universal health care (also called universal health coverage, universal coverage, or universal care) is a health care system in which all residents of a particular country or region are assured access to health care. It is generally organized ar ...

advocate who is currently a Senior Medical Officer at the Department of Hospital Services in Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Health. She is a 2019

Aspen Institute The Aspen Institute is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1949 as the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies. The institute's stated aim is the realization of "a free, just, and equitable society" through seminars, policy programs ...

New Voices Fellow.

Early life and education

Adaeze Oreh was born in

Benin City Benin City is the capital and largest city of Edo State, Edo State, Nigeria. It is the fourth-largest city in Nigeria according to the 2006 census, after Lagos, Kano (city), Kano, and Ibadan, with a population estimate of about 3,500,000 as of ...

Edo State Edo, commonly known as Edo State, is a state located in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. As of 2006 National population census, the state was ranked as the 24th populated state (3,233,366) in Nigeria, However there was controversy ...

to a medical doctor's father (

Peter Odili Peter Otunuya Odili (born 15 August 1948) was the third Governor of Rivers State in Nigeria from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2007. Odili is a member of the former ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP). Background Peter Odili was born on 15 August 19 ...

) and a judicial officer's mother (

Mary Odili Mary Ukaego Odili (née Nzenwa; CFR born 12 May 1952) is a Nigerian judge and wife of Peter Odili, who served as Governor of Rivers State from 1999 to 2007. She was appointed an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria (JSC) by Presiden ...

). She is the eldest of four children. She received her primary education at The Play Pen Child Development Centre in Port Harcourt and her secondary education at the University Demonstration Secondary School,

University of Port Harcourt The University of Port Harcourt is located in Choba in Port Harcourt, Rivers state, Nigeria. It was established in 1975 as University College, Port Harcourt and was given university status in 1977. The University of Port Harcourt was rank ...

. She proceeded to the college of medicine, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and graduated with a

Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ( la, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae; abbreviated most commonly MBBS), is the primary medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United King ...

degree in 2003. After completing her medical degree, she commenced her internship at the

Braithwaite Memorial Specialist Hospital Rivers State University Teaching Hospital formerly known as Braithwaite Memorial Specialist Hospital (abbreviated as BMSH) is a government owned hospital, named after Eldred Curwen Braithwaite, a British doctor and a pioneer of surgery. It is lo ...

of the

Rivers State University Rivers State University (RVSU or RSU), formerly Rivers State University of Science and Technology (UST or RSUST), is a university located in the Diobu (Mile III) area of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. As of 2021, the vice chancello ...

in Port Harcourt. She proceeded to get a degree in International Health Management at the Imperial College Business School of the

Imperial College London Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...

after the completion of her National Youth Service with the

National Youth Service Corps The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) is a program set up by the Nigerian government during the military regime to involve Nigerian graduates in nation-building and the development of the country. There is no military conscription in Nigeria, ...

. There, she majored in Global Health Systems, Healthcare Strategy, Healthcare Financing, Organizational Management, Health Informatics and Innovation. Dr Oreh also holds a master's degree in

from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

Career

After the completion of her master's degree she volunteered with the Federal Ministry of Health for about seven months, and then she was appointed Programme Coordinator of the Abuja Centre of the National Blood Transfusion Service – a partnership project of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency, under the Department of Health and Human Services, and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgi ...

(CDC) and Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Health funded under the United States President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). She held this position for five years between 2009 and 2014. In addition, she contributed towards the revision of the country's National Blood Policy in the National Health Act of 2014. She is a Fellow of the West African College of Physicians and a Member of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria in Family Medicine and is certified in Leadership and Management in addition to Safety and Quality in Healthcare from

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health is the public health school of Harvard University, located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. The school grew out of the Harvard-MIT School for Health Officers, the nation's first ...

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...

and University of Bath. She is a 2019

New Voices Fellow.

Personal life

She is the daughter of the former Governor of

Rivers State Rivers State, also known as Rivers, is a state in the Niger Delta region of southern Nigeria (Old Eastern Region). Formed in 1967, when it was split from the former Eastern Region, Rivers State borders include: Imo to the north, Abia and Akwa Ib ...

, Dr Peter Odili, and Nigerian Supreme Court Justice, Justice Mary Odili. She married Patrick Oreh, an electronics engineer and entrepreneur, in 2004. The couple have two children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oreh, Adaeze 1979 births Living people Alumni of Imperial College London Alumni of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Nigerian public health doctors Nigerian women medical doctors University of Nigeria alumni