Ihuoma Ezebuihe

Ihuoma Ezebuihe is the recipient of the Johnson & Johnson Edwidge Thomas Scholarship Award. She obtained both a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and a Master of Public Health (MPH) from Howard University, Washington DC; both Master of Science (MS) and post-Master in Global Health from the University of Maryland, Baltimore; a post-master certificate in the Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) program from West Virginia; and a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) from The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa. Ihuoma is currently enrolled in The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa and University of Alabama in Huntsville -Joint Nursing Science Ph.D. Program.

Growing up in Nigeria in Sub-Saharan Africa, Ihuoma had a firsthand experience of the negative impact that disease knowledge deficit can have on patients and their respective families. At that time, people in her community were experiencing a very high rate of diabetes. She met patients who believed in traditional medicine, voodoo explanations, and superstitions about diseases, particularly diabetes. Sometimes they believe someone has put a spell on them. Most of those patients have limited knowledge of diabetes necessary to manage the disease, particularly the dietary portion regarding low glycemic index and load foods indigenous to them. Dr. Ezebuihe became interested in nursing to become a nurse so that she could help people in her limited access to care community. The knowledge Ihuoma acquired in nursing provided her the opportunity to provide evidence-based diabetes knowledge to her people in their negative Igbo vernacular, and it made a significant impact on their hemoglobin A1C. Ihuoma was comfortable interacting within her community and felt a sense of belonging, helping people who were trying to survive against all odds.

She hopes to make more positive impacts on the lives of people, both in the United States and Nigeria, who are living with diabetes and other chronic diseases. Ihuoma is also working with people in her community with English language proficiency, conducting research in the translation of diabetes instruments, and diabetes health education interventions, to bring understanding to them and expose them to new healthy lives. Upon completion of her BSN degree, she worked at both Georgetown University’s same-day surgery unit and Howard University’s medical-surgical unit. Ihuoma worked as a nursing faculty teaching undergraduate and graduate nursing students at Coppin State University-School of Nursing while completing her DNP degree and she continues to work there while completing my Ph.D. degree. She obtained an MPH, MS, a certificate in global health, and an FNP which have enabled her to provide primary health care and evidence-based health educational intervention to people in communities who are living with diabetes, and other chronic illnesses.

Dr. Ezebuihe is interested in advancing the science of nursing by continuing to stay in academia to help produce the next generation of nurses and nurse faculty to improve the nursing faculty shortage and the nursing shortage by teaching, motivating, and mentoring graduate nursing students who are interested in becoming nursing faculty and future scientists, respectively. She decided to go back to school to obtain a Ph.D. degree to foster her research trajectory - eliminating health disparities among minority populations, particularly among African Americans and African Immigrants.

Ihuoma would like to express her immense gratitude for the Johnson & Johnson Edwidge Thomas Scholarship. This scholarship will help her complete her dissertation research, complete her Ph.D. degree, advance her research/career trajectories, and meet the obligations she set for her graduate nursing education goals.