Professor Anthony Nnaemeka Ikefuna, MBBS (Ibadan), MD, FMCPaed, FRCP Edin, FAMedS, FNAMed
Professor Anthony Nnaemeka Ikefuna attended St Michael’s Primary School, Aba, Abia State where he obtained his First School Leaving Certificate with Distinction. His secondary school education was at Chukwurah High School, Onitsha, Anambra State, where he obtained the West African School Certificate (WASC), in 1974, with Grade 1(Distinction). He also had a merit-based free-tuition award at Federal Government College, Warri during his Higher School Certificate(HSC) training and later gained admission, by direct entry, into the University of Ibadan to study Medicine. At Ibadan, he was honoured with the Federal Government Merit Award following his excellent academic performance at his 2nd MBBS examination in 1978. He completed his training in Medicine, in 1981, at the same University on a Federal Government scholarship.
After his Housemanship and National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) programes, respectively, he worked as a Medical Officer at Bishop Shanahan Hospital, Nsukka, Enugu State and later commenced Residency Training, in Paediatrics, at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Enugu where he obtained the Fellowship of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN), Faculty of Paediatrics (FMCPaed) in 1997.
Thereafter, he worked as a Principal Research Officer at the Institute of Child Health, UNTH. In 1999, he joined the Department of Paediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) as Lecturer 1 and the affiliate hospital, UNTH as an Honorary Consultant Paediatrician. He rose to the rank of Professor of Paediatrics at UNN on October 1, 2011.
In September 2016, he was elected a Fellow of the over 340-year-old Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (FRCP Edin) for his contributions in Paediatric Haematology and Oncology. In 2021, he was inducted as a Foundation Fellow of the Academy of Medicine Specialties of Nigeria (FAMedS) while in 2022, Prof Ikefuna was admitted as a Fellow of the merit-based Nigerian Academy of Medicine (FNAMed). In addition, he earned the Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree of NPMCN in the Faculty of Paediatrics.
He is a former Head, Department of Paediatrics (HOD), Faculty of Clinical Sciences, College of Medicine, UNN. He had an impactful tenure and was adjudged the best HOD, in the Faculty, for the 2018 / 2019 and 2019 /2020 academic sessions respectively by the Dean at that time. This was due to the innovations which he initiated and successfully implemented in the department during his tenure.
He served the Faculty of Clinical Sciences as either Chairman or member of many committees. Prof Ikefuna is also the 149th Inaugural Lecturer of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, a member of the Senate of UNN and an External Examiner, in Paediatrics, to some Colleges of Medicine in Nigeria. He is also a former Pro Chancellor and Chairman of Governing Council, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam – Anambra State owned University.
He has presented papers at conferences as well as published over a hundred and fifty peer-reviewed articles in National and International journals with over sixty of them listed in Thomson Reuter Impact Factor journals. He is listed in Google Scholar, a platform for assessing the productivity, impact of an academic’s publications and rating of the cumulative effect of a scholar’s academic output. He is also listed in Research Gate with a Research Internet Score (RI Score) that estimates an academic’s research works. Currently, more than eighty of Professor Ikefuna’s academic publications are listed in PubMed.
In addition, he also authored book chapters in Paediatrics and Paediatric Surgery respectively which are currently used by Medical students and Resident doctors.
He also served as Chairman, Secretary or Member of NPMCN accrediting teams to over twenty health institutions, in Nigeria, offering Residency training in Paediatrics.
Prof Ikefuna is a teacher, passionate trainer, mentor, an assessor and examiner who has, so far, successfully supervised seventy-four Fellowship Dissertations for sixty-three candidates with the Fellowship of NPMCN in the Faculty of Paediatrics and eleven candidates with the West African College of Physicians (WACP) Fellowship in the same specialty. Other successful supervisions include Masters and PhD Theses in Tropical Paediatrics as well as Doctor of Medicine Theses of NPMCN, in Paediatrics. Ten of his supervisees won prizes in the Faculty of Paediatrics of either of the postgraduate medical colleges while some of them are in the current staff list of the Department of Paediatrics, UNTH / UNN as Consultants and/or lecturers. Twelve of his supervised candidates are now Professors of Paediatrics while six others are Associate Professors (Reader) in Paediatrics in their academic institutions. Many others are occupying relevant academic, professional and administrative positions in their institutions.. Four of his supervised Professors, all of whom are Fellows of NPMCN, have delivered their Inaugural lectures in their institutions.
He is a former Vice President of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria and had previously served as a two term Faculty Board member, Faculty Secretary, Third Senate Member and Chairman /Chief Examiner of the Faculty of Paediatrics, NPMCN respectively. He always attributed the attainment of these positions to God’s grace. He also served as Coordinator of the Computer Based Test (CBT), Enugu examination Centre of NPMCN as well as Enugu Coordinator and Custodian of Convocation Materials for NPMCN respectively. Prof Ikefuna is a former Chairman of the Quality Assurance Committee of NPMCN which developed the Rubric for appraising postgraduate Fellowship examinations in all the Faculties of the College. In addition, he served as Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee of NPMCN as well as Chairman or member of many Adhoc Committees in the College. He is also the immediate past Chairman of the Senate Committee on Credentials and Fellowship Award (SCCFA), one of the standing committees of NPMCN Senate and a former member of the College Doctor of Medicine (MD) programme Board. Currently, he is a member of the Governing Board of NPMCN.
Prof Ikefuna is an Examiner for the Parts 1 and 2 (final) Fellowship examinations in the Faculty of Paediatrics, NPMCN and a College nominated External Examiner to other Faculties for the MD degree examination.
He is a member of many professional bodies and reviews manuscripts for some National and International journals as well as publications of academic staff of some Universities aspiring for Readership or Professorial positions in their institutions.
He loves singing and was once an active member of the College Choir in his High school years at Federal Government College, Warri. He is also involved in community developmental activities
Professor Anthony Ikefuna is married to Mrs. Pauline Ikefuna and blessed with three children.