Onyema Ogbuagu

Onyema Eberechukwu Ogbuagu (born June 20, 1978) is an American-born infectious diseases physician and clinical trial investigator, who was raised and educated in Nigeria. He is an associate professor at Yale School of Medicine and is the director of the Yale AIDS Program clinical trials unit.[1] His research contributions have focused on HIV/AIDS prevention and COVID-19 vaccination and treatment clinical trials.[2] He switched his focus at the beginning of the 2019 COVID pandemic and participated as a principal investigator on the Pfizer-BioNtech Covid-19 vaccine trials[3][4] and the Remdesivir SIMPLE trial[5] in 2020 and 2021. Ogbuagu also supports postgraduate physician medical education programs in low and middle income countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Onyema Ogbuagu
Born
Onyema Eberechukwu Ogbuagu

(1978-06-20) June 20, 1978
NationalityAmerican
OccupationInfectious diseases physician
Known forDirector of the Yale AIDS Program clinical trials unit, public advocacy for vaccines
Spouse(s)Grace Igiraneza Ogbuagu
AwardsSteve Huot Faculty Award, Gerald H. Friedland prize
Websiteyalemedicine.org/specialists/onyema_ogbuagu

Ogbuagu has worked to increase public understanding of mRNA vaccines.[6][7][8][9][10][11] Ogbuagu has also worked to decrease vaccine hesitancy.[12][13] He has been a co-author on 43 scholarly articles, according to the National Library of Medicine.[14] According to Google Scholar, one article he co-authored on Remdesivir and its use for Covid that appeared in JAMA was cited 504 times.[15] Ogbuagu was selected as the commencement speaker for Yale School of Medicine's class of 2021.[16]

Early life and education

Onyema Ogbuagu and an identical twin brother, Chibuzo Ogbuaug II, were born to Chibuzo and Stella Ogbuagu. They were Nigerian doctorate students attending Yale University and University of Pennsylvania, respectively, when their twins were born. The couple had graduated in the 1974 from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.[17] The family returned to Nigeria when the twins were five years old. Ogbuagu’s father was vice-chancellor of Abia State University, Nigeria, and his mother was a professor of sociology and a former deputy vice-chancellor of the same institution. They are members of the Igbo (or Ibo) tribe in Nigeria.

Ogbuagu attended Auntie Margaret International Primary School in Calabar, Nigeria, and obtained his secondary education at Federal Government College, Okigwe, Imo State, Nigeria, graduating at 15. He graduated from the College of Medical Sciences, University of Calabar, Nigeria in 2014. He completed his medical internship at the Ebonyi State University Teaching Hospital in Abakaliki, Nigeria. He then returned to the United States, where he interned at the Elmhurst campus of Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Ogbuagu completed his residency and chief residency at Mount Sinai in 2010.[18]

Ogbuagu completed an infectious diseases fellowship at Yale School of Medicine in 2012 and assumed a faculty position as an assistant professor in the same year. Currently, he is an associate professor of medicine in the Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases.[19]

Career

Ogbuagu is an HIV/AIDS physician and leads a clinical trials program at Yale that conducts research on infectious diseases. He has been the principal investigator on pharmacokinetic, phase 2 and 3 safety and efficacy trials of novel antiviral compounds for HIV in addition to his recent work on Covid-19 vaccinations and therapeutics.[20] He is a clinician at Yale Medicine, the medical practice of Yale School of Medicine, and sees patients at Yale New Haven Hospital’s Nathan Smith Clinic.

Ogbuagu trains physicians in Liberia and Rwanda. He has been a visiting professor to the National University of Rwanda since 2012, where he mentors medical residents and junior faculty and assists them in conducting clinical research projects. In Liberia, he is program director of Yale’s Office of Global Health’s efforts to support Internal Medicine residency training. He trained the first infectious disease fellow in Liberia.[21]

COVID-19 and HIV/AIDS research

At the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, Ogbuagu shifted his focus from AIDS/HIV research and patient care to lead vaccine trials for Covid-19 at the Yale Center for Clinical Investigation where he was a PI on the Pfizer-BioNtech Covid-19 mRNA vaccine trial arms at Yale in adults as well as the pediatric studies for 12-15 year-olds and 6 month to 11 year olds. Ogbuagu was also a PI for the second Phase 2b Sanofi-Glaxo Smith Klein novel Covid-19 vaccination candidate. He was also the Yale site PI for COVID treatment studies including the Remdesivir SIMPLE moderate and Severe trials, Leronlimab phase 2 and REMDACTA treatment trials.

Previous to this clinical trial work, he researched pharmacokinetic, phase 2 and 3 safety and efficacy trials of novel antiviral compounds (HIV), and conducted HIV prevention trials.[22]

Awards

In 2015, Ogbuagu elected as a Fellow of the American College of Physicians. In 2017, He received the Steve Huot Faculty Award for Dedication and Excellence from Yale School of Medicine’s  Internal Medicine Primary Care Program.

In 2014 and in 2019, he received the Gerald H. Friedland prize for outstanding international research presentation by the Connecticut Infectious Diseases Society. On February 18, 2020, he also received an award from the Rwanda College of Physicians for his contribution in the fight against infectious diseases.

Personal life

Ogbuagu is married to Grace Igiraneza Ogbuagu, a nephrologist. Together, they have five children, the oldest of whom are twin sons.

Publications
  • Tuan J, Spichler-Moffarah A, Ogbuagu O. A new positive SARS-CoV-2 test months after severe COVID-19 illness: reinfection or intermittent viral shedding? BMJ Case Rep. 2021 Feb 4;14(2):e240531. doi: 10.1136/bcr-2020-240531. PMID 33542020; PMCID: PMC8098910.
  • Polack FP, Thomas SJ, Kitchin N, Absalon J, Gurtman A, Lockhart S, Perez JL, Pérez Marc G, Moreira ED, Zerbini C, Bailey R, Swanson KA, Roychoudhury S, Koury K, Li P, Kalina WV, Cooper D, Frenck RW Jr, Hammitt LL, Türeci Ö, Nell H, Schaefer A, Ünal S, Tresnan DB, Mather S, Dormitzer PR, Şahin U, Jansen KU, Gruber WC; C4591001 Clinical Trial Group. Safety and Efficacy of the BNT162b2 mRNA Covid-19 Vaccine. N Engl J Med. 2020 Dec 31;383(27):2603-2615. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2034577. Epub 2020 Dec 10. PMID 33301246; PMCID: PMC7745181.
  • Edelman EJ, Moore BA, Calabrese SK, Berkenblit G, Cunningham CO, Ogbuagu O, Patel VV, Phillips KA, Tetrault JM, Shah M, Blackstock O. Preferences for implementation of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP): Results from a survey of primary care providers. Prev Med Rep. 2019 Oct 21;17:101012. doi: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2019.101012. PMID 31890474; PMCID: PMC6926349.
  • Spinner CD, Gottlieb RL, Criner GJ, Arribas López JR, Cattelan AM, Soriano Viladomiu A, Ogbuagu O, Malhotra P, Mullane KM, Castagna A, Chai LYA, Roestenberg M, Tsang OTY, Bernasconi E, Le Turnier P, Chang SC, SenGupta D, Hyland RH, Osinusi AO, Cao H, Blair C, Wang H, Gaggar A, Brainard DM, McPhail MJ, Bhagani S, Ahn MY, Sanyal AJ, Huhn G, Marty FM; GS-US-540-5774 Investigators. Effect of Remdesivir vs Standard Care on Clinical Status at 11 Days in Patients With Moderate COVID-19: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2020 Sep 15;324(11):1048-1057. doi: 10.1001/jama.2020.16349. PMID 32821939; PMCID: PMC7442954.
  • Ogbuagu O, Marshall BDL, Tiberio P, Ogunbajo A, Barakat L, Montgomery M, Almonte A, Wray T, Williams EC, Edelman EJ, Chan PA. Prevalence and Correlates of Unhealthy Alcohol and Drug Use Among Men Who Have Sex with Men Prescribed HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis in Real-World Clinical Settings. AIDS Behav. 2019 Jan;23(1):190-200. doi: 10.1007/s10461-018-2260-9. PMID 30145707; PMCID: PMC7020905.
  • Rutledge R, Madden L, Ogbuagu O, Meyer JP. HIV Risk perception and eligibility for pre-exposure prophylaxis in women involved in the criminal justice system. AIDS Care. 2018 Oct;30(10):1282-1289. doi: 10.1080/09540121.2018.1447079. Epub 2018 Mar 11. PMID 29527934; PMCID: PMC6085161.
  • Kambutse I, Igiraneza G, Ogbuagu O. Perceptions of HIV transmission and pre-exposure prophylaxis among health care workers and community members in Rwanda. PLoS One. 2018 Nov 26;13(11):e0207650. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0207650. Erratum in: PLoS One. 2019 Feb 22;14(2):e0212933. PMID 30475841; PMCID: PMC6261021.

References
  1. "Onyema Ogbuagu, MBBCh, FACP, FIDSA". medicine.yale.edu. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  2. Sopeyin, Anuoluwapo; Hornsey, Emilio; Okwor, Tochi; Alimi, Yewande; Raji, Tajudeen; Mohammed, Abdulaziz; Moges, Hiwot; Onwuekwe, Ezinne V C.; Minja, Frank J.; Gon, Giorgia; Ogbuagu, Onyema; Ogunsola, Folasade; Paintsil, Elijah (2020). "Transmission risk of respiratory viruses in natural and mechanical ventilation environments: Implications for SARS-CoV-2 transmission in Africa". BMJ Global Health. 5 (8): e003522. doi:10.1136/bmjgh-2020-003522. PMC 7462043. PMID 32863269.
  3. Frenck, Robert W.; Klein, Nicola P.; Kitchin, Nicholas; Gurtman, Alejandra; Absalon, Judith; Lockhart, Stephen; Perez, John L.; Walter, Emmanuel B.; Senders, Shelly; Bailey, Ruth; Swanson, Kena A. (July 15, 2021). "Safety, Immunogenicity, and Efficacy of the BNT162b2 Covid-19 Vaccine in Adolescents". The New England Journal of Medicine. 385 (3): 239–250. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2107456. ISSN 1533-4406. PMC 8174030. PMID 34043894.
  4. Polack, Fernando P.; Thomas, Stephen J.; Kitchin, Nicholas; Absalon, Judith; Gurtman, Alejandra; Lockhart, Stephen; Perez, John L.; Pérez Marc, Gonzalo; Moreira, Edson D.; Zerbini, Cristiano; Bailey, Ruth (December 31, 2020). "Safety and Efficacy of the BNT162b2 mRNA Covid-19 Vaccine". The New England Journal of Medicine. 383 (27): 2603–2615. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2034577. ISSN 1533-4406. PMC 7745181. PMID 33301246.
  5. Spinner, Christoph D.; Gottlieb, Robert L.; Criner, Gerard J.; Arribas López, José Ramón; Cattelan, Anna Maria; Soriano Viladomiu, Alex; Ogbuagu, Onyema; Malhotra, Prashant; Mullane, Kathleen M.; Castagna, Antonella; Chai, Louis Yi Ann (September 15, 2020). "Effect of Remdesivir vs Standard Care on Clinical Status at 11 Days in Patients With Moderate COVID-19: A Randomized Clinical Trial". JAMA. 324 (11): 1048–1057. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.16349. ISSN 0098-7484. PMC 7442954. PMID 32821939.
  6. By <a href='/profiles/julia-hollingsworth'>Julia Hollingsworth</a>, Adam Renton, Emma Reynolds, Nada Bashir, Melissa Macaya and <a href='/profiles/meg-wagner'>Meg Wagner</a> (December 10, 2020). "Pfizer principal investigator "very optimistic" about positive news after FDA meeting". CNN. Retrieved June 17, 2021.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. "Video: What you need to know about COVID-19 vaccine distribution". ABC News. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  8. "Low public trust could hurt vaccine distribution in minority communities". MSNBC.com. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  9. America, Good Morning, New Pfizer trial shows vaccine 100% effective in teens 12-15, retrieved June 17, 2021
  10. Johnson, Carolyn Y. (August 27, 2020). "Large U.S. covid-19 vaccine trials are halfway enrolled, but lag on participant diversity". Washington Post. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  11. "Connecticut's Shot in the Arm: State leaders, health officials discuss COVID-19 vaccine". WTNH.com. December 2, 2020. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  12. House, The Potter's. "T.D. Jakes Hosts Conversation with COVID-19 Vaccine Scientists". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  13. "COVID Vaccines and the Return to Life: Part 1". The Aspen Institute. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
  14. "Onyema Ogbuagu - Search Results - PubMed". PubMed. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  15. Spinner, Christoph D.; Gottlieb, Robert L.; Criner, Gerard J.; Arribas López, José Ramón; Cattelan, Anna Maria; Soriano Viladomiu, Alex; Ogbuagu, Onyema; Malhotra, Prashant; Mullane, Kathleen M.; Castagna, Antonella; Chai, Louis Yi Ann (September 15, 2020). "Effect of Remdesivir vs Standard Care on Clinical Status at 11 Days in Patients With Moderate COVID-19: A Randomized Clinical Trial". JAMA. 324 (11): 1048–1057. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.16349. ISSN 0098-7484. PMC 7442954. PMID 32821939.
  16. "MD Class of 2021 Selects Associate Professor Onyema Ogbuagu as Commencement Speaker". medicine.yale.edu. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  17. "Meet Onyema Ogbuagu, di Nigerian inside Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine breakthrough". BBC News Pidgin. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  18. "Onyema Ogbuagu, MBBCh, FACP, FIDSA". medicine.yale.edu. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  19. "Infectious Diseases Faculty". medicine.yale.edu. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  20. am, Rose Horowitch 1:17; Apr 06; 2020 (April 6, 2020). "Yale investigates potential treatments for COVID-19". Yale Daily News. Retrieved June 17, 2021.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  21. "Onyema Ogbuagu". Yale Medicine. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  22. "Onyema Ogbuagu, MBBCh, FACP, FIDSA". medicine.yale.edu. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
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