Dr Morenike Alex-Okoh
Dr Morenike Alex-Okoh
Dr Morenike Alex-Okoh is a Consultant Public Health Physician and the Founder /CEO of Global Health Strategies, where she leads a dynamic team in driving innovative global health solutions. With over 30 years of cognate experience in public health, 15 of which were in mid to senior level roles, she has held senior positions at national and regional levels as the Head of Department and Director Public Health at the Federal Ministry of Health in Nigeria and as Vice Chair of the Advisory and Technical Council of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
As the Head of Department and Director of Public Health at the Federal Ministry of Health, she was responsible for the development of public health policies and the strategic framework for their implementation and coordination. Her portfolio included working collaboratively with stakeholders, Development Partners, national and subnational governments to strengthen the overall health system, including strengthening community health platforms through the policy development process. She performed oversight of the coordination and implementation of the 2019 - 2025 National Multisectoral Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in Nigeria, finalization of the Task Shifting and Task Sharing Policy for Integration of NCDs into the Task Shifting Policy for Essential Health Care Services in Nigeria, and the adaptation of the WHO PEN (to Nigeria PEN) for integrated health services at primary health care level. She was Chair of the NCDI Poverty Commission, Chair Advisory Board of Hypertension Treatment in Nigeria, Chair Nigerian Sodium Study Advisory Board, has co-authored several publications and was the pioneer lead for the national WHO STEPS survey in Nigeria started in 2023.
She initiated, led and championed the establishment of a National Mental Health Program to coordinate mental health interventions and services in Nigeria, and played a pivotal role as Pillar Lead at the National Pandemic Response Center of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19. She launched and coordinated a series of initiatives that formed the foundation of a novel system for coordinating national public health emergency preparedness and response, thereby strengthening the national architecture for health emergency, preparedness, response, and resilience in alignment with the Global Health Security Agenda.
She was the Focal Point and Lead Personnel at the Federal Ministry of Health to coordinate all other government departments and stakeholders in the rollout of the World Health Organization flagship initiatives in Nigeria, starting with the Strengthening and Utilizing Response Groups for Emergencies (SURGE) flagship.
She is a member of the WHO Guidance Development Group for 2019 WHO Guidance on Public Health and Social Measures for Mitigating the Risk and Impact of Epidemic and Pandemic Influenza.
She holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degree (MBBS) from the University of Benin, a Master of Public Health from the University of Lagos and she is a Fellow of the National Post Graduate Medical College of Nigeria. She has consistently demonstrated a commitment to advancing knowledge and making significant contributions to public health and she has an unwavering dedication to improving healthcare outcomes globally.