Njideka Udochi, Nigerian born medical doctor and younger sister of the current WTO DG, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has received a major award for Covid-19 Community Engagement and Response in Howard County, Maryland, United States.

The award, worth $65, 000, came barely three months after she had been recognized as Maryland’s Family Physician of the Year by the Maryland Academy of Family Physicians in the United States.

“The award could not have come at a better time,” Udochi, who has pledged to use the grant to “help increase access and engage children and families of BIPOC in vaccinations in the county”, enthused.

She also noted the negative impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on families, particularly people of colour, whilst emphasizing the importance of child vaccination as one of the veritable ways to stem the scourge.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has heavily impacted families, especially families of color, leading to economic instability, loss of jobs for many parents, isolation for kids and increase in mental health symptoms. Vaccinatinour kids is a great strategy to help them return safely to school, increase socialization and mental health issues.” She said.

Udochi, a Nigerian-born medic with more than 30 years of experience, currently resides and works in the United States. She is the Medical Director of Millennium Family Practice and President of Millennium Health Group, Columbia, Maryland. Her practice is well known for its diverse, international patients with a multilingual workforce that boasts of ten different languages. She aims to elevate the quality of healthcare delivery globally.