Chinomnso Traffina specializes in nursing, is a certified midwife, and is working towards an Advanced Masters in Public Health. She has worked at the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria for over two years, where she coordinated the Global Fund ATM and health system project. She currently works for the Traffina Foundation for Community Health, which she founded in 2007. She has experience working on programs for maternal/child health and father care projects in Eastern and Northern Nigeria. Included among these projects is the award-winning “Let’s Save Our Mothers” program. Chinomnso first became interested in maternal health as a student at the Midwifery Training School.

Mentor

Emeka Nwachukwu, MD, is a Clinical Epidemiologist with technical expertise in qualitative and quantitative research methods, programs design and implementation, monitoring and evaluation, data analysis, capacity building, health systems strengthening, and program management. His research interests are epidemiology of infectious disease, maternal/child health, and sexual/reproductive health. He is the Project Director of the CDC/HHS funded EFMC/REACH project. He coordinates all program and clinical activities relating to prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and maternal health services, including the prevention activities of HIV/AIDS. He is also supporting a USAID funded Health Project of the FUTURES GROUP to work with the White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood to develop statistical models that support integrating family planning in maternal health services for reduction of maternal mortality in Nigeria. He has developed family planning projections for Gombe State and national projections through support from the SURE-P project under the office of the Minister of State for Health.

Project

As a Young Champion, Chinomnso mobilized women to achieve better health during pregnancy and childbirth by organizing free check-ups, immunizations, and medical outreaches through her host organization, Excellence and Friends Management Consult