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Chizoba
Barbara
Wonodi
,
MBBS

Associate Scientist
Chizoba Wonodi

Departmental Affiliations

Primary
Division
Global Disease Epidemiology and Control

Center & Institute Affiliations

Contact Info

415 N Wolfe St, 5th Floor
Baltimore
Maryland
21205
US        

Research Interests

Immunization; vaccination; health systems research; implementation science research; policy advocacy; primary health care; sustainable immunization financing
Experiences & Accomplishments
Education
DrPH
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
2009
MPH
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
2004
MBBS
University of Benin
1991
Overview
Dr. Chizoba Wonodi is an Associate Scientist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Nigeria country director at the school’s International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC). She also serves as the director for immunization for the five-year USAID-funded MOMENTUM Country and Global Leadership project. She is a public health physician with expertise in immunization program delivery, implementation science research, behavioral science, and primary health care development. Dr. Wonodi has nearly 30 years of experience in public health. Her most recent work focuses on deploying and evaluating childhood, adolescent, and adult vaccines in Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Madagascar, and Haiti. She has led several multi-million-dollar research, implementation, and technical assistance projects that positively impacted vaccination coverage and equity at the country level. Dr. Wonodi has mentored many public health practitioners and researchers through her work.

Dr. Wonodi obtained her medical degree from the University of Benin, Nigeria, and her master's and a doctorate in public health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health as a Gates Scholar. She founded the Women Advocates for Vaccine Access (WAVA), a coalition of Civil Society Organizations in Nigeria advocating for increased uptake of vaccines and sustainable financing of immunization programs. WAVA serves as the secretariat for the national platform, the Expanded Civil Society Initiative for Immunization (ECSII), in Nigeria. Dr. Wonodi is a member of the Coordinating Committee for the Immunization Agenda 2030, the Gavi CSO Constituency Steering Committee, and the CSO representative to the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) for immunization.
Honors & Awards
The Bill and Melinda Gates Institute scholarship for masters degree - 2003
The Bill and Melinda Gates Institute scholarship for doctorate studies - 2004
The Carolyn Cochrane Fellowship - 2006
The Population Reference Bureau Fellowship - 2007
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Excellence in International Public Health Practice 2020-2021
Select Publications
Selected publications
  • Wonodi C, Obi-Jeff C, Adewumi F, Keluo-Udeke SC, Gur-Arie R, Krubiner C, Jaffe EF, Bamiduro T, Karron R, Faden R. Conspiracy theories and misinformation about COVID-19 in Nigeria: Implications for vaccine demand generation communications. Vaccine. 2022 Mar 18;40(13):2114-2121. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.02.005. Epub 2022 Feb 7. PMID: 35153088; PMCID: PMC8830779.
  • Knoll MD, Wonodi C. Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine efficacy. Lancet. 2021 Jan 9;397(10269):72-74. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)32623-4. Epub 2020 Dec 8. PMID: 33306990; PMCID: PMC7832220.
  • Shet A, Carr K, Danovaro-Holliday MC, Sodha SV, Prosperi C, Wunderlich J, Wonodi C, Reynolds HW, Mirza I, Gacic-Dobo M, O'Brien KL, Lindstrand A. Impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on routine immunisation services: evidence of disruption and recovery from 170 countries and territories. Lancet Glob Health. 2021 Dec 21:S2214-109X(21)00512-X. doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(21)00512-X. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34951973; PMCID: PMC8691849.
  • Wonodi, C., Obi-Jeff, C., Falade, A., Watkins, K., & Omokore, O. A. (2020). Pneumonia in Nigeria: The way forward. Pediatric pulmonology, 55(S1), S5-S9. https://doi.org/10.1002/ppul.24749
  • Wonodi, C.B., Privor-Dumm, L., Aina, M., Pate, A.M., Reis, R., Gadhoke, P., Levine, O.S. Using social network analysis to examine the decision-making process on new vaccine introduction in Nigeria (2012) Health Policy and Planning, 27 (SUPPL.2), pp. ii27-ii38.