The Clinical Research Education Networking and Consultancy (CRENC) congratulates 2015 clinical research fellow and coordinator Bonaventure Dzekem, MD as he has been named an Obama Foundation Scholar to study in one of the top 10 Universities in the world – The University of Chicago.
Dr Dzekem obtained his Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree from the University of Buea, Cameroon in 2015 and served as a primary care physician in public and private hospitals in Cameroon before moving to the University of Ibadan, Nigeria for graduate studies as a Pan-African University scholar sponsored by the African Development Bank. Prior to his studies in Nigeria, he served as the Chief Medical Officer of Health Services Partner Cameroon (HSPC), a branch of a US-based not-for-profit organization. As a physician and social entrepreneur, during his time in HSPC, Bonaventure founded the Keafon Health. His work with this organization is centered around improving access to healthcare through outreach programs in remote areas, establishing community-centric health insurance schemes, and increasing access to health through mobile health technology from simple messages and phone calls to video consultations and online prescriptions. Together with his team and in partnership with HSPC, he is developing the Keafons’ Motorcycle for health project which will use motorcycles as mini-ambulances on roads that are not motorable in the Kumba health district and hopefully in Cameroon.
Bonaventure did his fellowship with the CRENC in 2014 and 2015. With the CRENC, he trained in clinical research and project management, scientific writing and conference planning under the guidance of Prof Anastase Dzudie. He then served as one of the research project coordinators and participated in several clinical and research-oriented conferences either as an organizer or a speaker at national and international levels. Some of these research projects let to the publication of articles in peer-reviewed journals. He is a reviewer for the Cardiovascular Journal of Africa.
The Obama Foundation Scholars Program gives rising young leaders around the world who are already making a difference in their communities the opportunity to take their work to the next level through a newly designed curriculum that brings together academic, skills-based, and hands-on learning. In August 2018, the Obama Foundation officially named Bonaventure as one of the inaugural Obama Foundation Scholars. He is the only Cameroonian who will join 24 other dynamic, collaborative rising leaders from around the world in the inaugural cohort at the University of Chicago. Through this prestigious scholars program, he will earn a masters degree in International Development and Policy with focus on Health Policy from the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago, USA.
To know more about the Obama scholars, visit www.obama.org/scholars/
