Faculty: Medicine
Program: Master of Public Health
Year: 2018
Country: Nigeria
Chidubem (Dubem) is a trained medical doctor whose passion was sparked after witnessing the impact the lack of medical doctors had in her community. She obtained a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) at the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), where she volunteered with organizations that provide free health services to rural communities. During her undergraduate studies, she served as the Vice President of Medix Frontiers, UNN chapter, leading campaigns to provide free basic health services to these underserved communities. More recently, Dubem led a team of healthcare professionals to provide basic medical services including screening and early detection of some common ailments such as malaria, and diabetes in a rural community in Southwestern Nigeria.
Dubem believes that the interdisciplinary approach to community engagement coupled with the qualitative and quantitative approaches that Masters in Public Health at the University of British Columbia provides, will empower her with the skills and knowledge to effectively navigate and proffer solutions to the problem of poor healthcare and female genital mutilation. Dubem is particularly excited about the hands-on training approach to public health at UBC. She hopes to acquire knowledge to contribute to drafting a well-rounded and ethically-sound national protocol aimed at improving the health outcome of the poor. Dubem is excited to join the community of outstanding scholars and change makers in one of the world’s best universities. She is excited to learn how Canada has been able to improve and maintain its excellent public health indices over the years and how to prepare herself to contribute to change in Africa.