Elochukwu Christopher Okanmelu, MD, MHE, M.Sc.

Contact
Junior Research Group Planetary Health Nutrition
Chair of Public Health and Health Services Research
Pettenkofer School of Public Health, LMU Munich
Elisabeth-Winterhalter-Weg 6, D-81377 Munich, Germany
Room: U040
Phone number: +49 (0)1748667125
Email: elochukwu.okanmelu@ibe.med.uni-muenchen.de

Current Projects

• FoodSAMSA - Food environments in Africa: Addressing Malnutrition using a Syndemics Approach (2021-2024, Research Assistant; Website)

Areas of interest

• Public and Planetary Health Nutrition
• Severe Acute Malnutrition Rehabilitation
• Food Systems and Sustainability
• Infectious disease
• Commercial Determinants of Health
• Post-colonial Structures in Global Health
• Healthcare Financing

Methodological expertise

• Quantitative data analysis ( R-programming, Python, SPSS)
• AI- Machine Learning ( Supervised Machine Learning)
• Qualitative Research
• Integrated knowledge translation
• Evidence synthesis (systematic reviews and meta-analysis, scoping reviews)

Networks
ORCID | Linkedin | ResearchGate

Publications

• Holliday, N., Leibinger, A., Huizinga, O., Klinger, C., Okanmelu, E., Geffert, K., Rehfuess, E., & von Philipsborn, P. (2023) Application of the WHO Nutrient Profile Model to products on the German market: Implications for proposed new food marketing legislation in Germany. MedRxiv pre-print. doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.04.24.23288785

Poster Publication

• Okanmelu, E., Garsevanidze, E., Tasker, R.C., Uy, J., Hiffler, L., Kasongo Kayembe, P., Machina, B.K. (2019) Challenges in using long-term oxygen therapy in a resource- limited setting: Pediatric emergency unit, Nigeria.
• MSF Paediatric Days 2019 Poster N 12219. Doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.22822.78401

Work Experience

• Research Associate, Chair of Public Health and Health Services Research, IBE, LMU Munich, Germany, November 2022- Date
• Research Assistant, Chair of Public Health and Health Services Research, IBE, LMU Munich, Germany, June 2022- September 2023
• Research Assistant, Institute for infectious disease and tropical medicine, LMU Klinikum, Munich, Germany, February 2023- September 2023.
• Consultant – Grassroots Initiative for Gender and Development (GRID), Nigeria. June 2021-date.
• Resident Doctor- Public Health – Federal Medical Centre Asaba, Nigeria. June 2020 - January 2023.
• Stabilization Center Physician – Action Against Hunger/National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Nangere, Nigeria. January 2020-June 2020
• Medical Doctor – Medecins Sans Frontiere OCB, Abakaliki, Nigeria. October 2019 -December 2019
• Medical Doctor – Medecins Sans Frontiere OCBA, Jakusko & Damaturu, Nigeria. September 2017 – June 2019
• Chief Medical Officer – Tunik hospitals ltd, Kano, Nigeria. April 2016- September 2017
• Medical Officer – Armed Forces Specialist Hospital , Kano, Nigeria. May 2015- September 2016
• Intern/ House Officer – University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital. Ituku Ozalla, Nigeria. January 2014- March 2015.

Education

• 2020 – 2023: M.Sc. in Epidemiology, Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometry and Epidemiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Germany (thesis: Rapid and accurate diagnosis of pediatric TB: Utility of clinical reviewers in diagnostic studies.)
• 2016 – 2018: Master of Health Economics, Bayero University Kano, Nigeria (Thesis: Impact of health policies on healthcare financing in Nigeria).
• 2007 – 2013: Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MB.BS), University of Nigeria Nsukka, Nigeria (Thesis: Hygiene measures in urban communities of south-east Nigeria).

Teaching

• Applying a de-colonial lens to global health research and practice (Lecture in the Master Programme Public Health, LMU Munich, since 2023)
• Country-specific nutrition strategies-Nigeria (Module in the Global Nutrition Course, LMU Center for International Health, since 2023)