Chizoba Barbara Wonodi

Dr. Chizoba Barbara Wonodi serves as an Associate Professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and as the Nigeria country director at the school's International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC). She also directs immunization for the USAID-funded MOMENTUM Country and Global Leadership project. With nearly 30 years of public health experience, Dr. Wonodi specializes in immunization program delivery, implementation science research, behavioral science, and primary health care development.

Dr. Wonodi obtained her medical degree (MBBS) from the University of Benin in Nigeria in 1991, followed by a Master of Public Health (MPH) in 2004 and a Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) in 2009 from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where she was a Gates Scholar. Her educational background reflects a strong foundation in both clinical medicine and public health policy.

Her research interests span immunization, vaccination, health systems research, implementation science, policy advocacy, primary health care, and sustainable immunization financing. Dr. Wonodi has focused extensively on deploying and evaluating childhood, adolescent, and adult vaccines across multiple African nations including Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Madagascar, as well as Haiti. Her work bridges the gap between vaccine science and practical implementation in resource-limited settings.

Dr. Wonodi's publication record demonstrates a consistent focus on practical vaccine delivery challenges, with recent work examining pandemic impacts on immunization services, vaccine hesitancy, health communication strategies, and gender dynamics in immunization programs. Her research combines epidemiological methods with health systems analysis to address real-world barriers to vaccine access.

• 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

Dr. Wonodi has mentored numerous public health practitioners and researchers throughout her career. She founded Women Advocates for Vaccine Access (WAVA), serves as the secretariat for the Expanded Civil Society Initiative for Immunization (ECSII) in Nigeria, and holds leadership positions on the Coordinating Committee for the Immunization Agenda 2030, the Gavi CSO Constituency Steering Committee, and as the CSO representative to the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) for immunization. Her work on multi-million-dollar research and implementation projects has directly impacted vaccination coverage and equity at country levels.

Through her leadership at IVAC and involvement with international immunization initiatives, Dr. Wonodi plays a critical role in connecting academic research with practical vaccine implementation strategies across multiple countries in Africa and beyond.