Nigerian physician Dr. Kelechi Prince Chima has added a prestigious Oxford accolade to his résumé, graduating with distinction in both his overall grade and dissertation from the University of Oxford’s Master’s in International Health and Tropical Medicine (IHTM) programme.
Dr. Chima’s path to academic excellence began with a fully funded Rhodes Scholarship, which covers tuition and provides an annual living stipend of £18,180. Amid stiff global competition, he also claimed the Trinity College Oxford Graduate Academic Prize for Excellent Achievement—a rare honour for an IHTM candidate.
At Oxford, Dr. Chima immersed himself in cross‑continental research, presenting his findings at the United Kingdom Houses of Parliament and spending a term in Vietnam studying tropical disease patterns on remote islands. His dissertation, lauded by faculty for its depth and clarity, examined strategies to strengthen community health systems in malaria‑endemic regions of West Africa.
“It was both challenging and transformative,” Dr. Chima said. “Engaging with policymakers in Westminster and collaborating with Vietnamese public health teams broadened my perspective on how to tackle tropical diseases in varied contexts.”
Before arriving at Oxford, Dr. Chima completed his medical training in Lagos and served as a city clinic doctor, where he treated everything from malaria to emerging viral infections. He plans to return to Nigeria later this year, aiming to apply the global insights and research skills he gained to strengthen the country’s public health infrastructure.
University of Oxford IHTM Director Professor Susan Clarke praised Dr. Chima’s “remarkable intellectual rigour and passion for real‑world impact,” noting that his work exemplifies the programme’s goal of training leaders in global health.
Dr. Chima’s achievement continues a wave of Nigerian scholars making their mark at top universities worldwide and stands as an inspiring milestone for aspiring medical professionals across the country.