NANNNA 11th President

Dr. Emilia Ngozi Iwu, Ph.D., RN, APNC, FWACN

Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA Post-Doctoral Fellow; Carnegie Foundation African Diaspora Fellow; Robert Wood Johnson Nurse Faculty Fellow; & Jonas Foundation Nurse Leadership Fellow

Dr. Iwu is the President of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses in North America (NANNNA), an Assistant Professor at Rutgers University, School of Nursing Newark, and a Senior Technical Advisor for the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria. Dr. Iwu completed her Post-doctoral program at the University of Pennsylvania, and her Ph.D., Masters and Bachelor’s Degrees in Nursing Science at Rutgers University. She also has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in School Health Services from Rowan University in New Jersey.  She is an Advanced Practice Nurse and Certified Family Nurse Practitioner. Prior to joining Rutgers University, Dr. Iwu worked with the Institute of Human Virology and School of Nursing, University of Maryland, Baltimore as a Faculty Technical Advisor for CDC/PEPFAR funded HIV Treatment, Prevention, and Care program in Nigeria. For the past 15 years, she has maintained this research and global health career through the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN). This Global health service provides Dr. Iwu a platform to engage with healthcare professionals, leaders, researchers, and policymakers locally and internationally.

In Nigeria, she has led the development of national HIV curricula for pre- and post-licensure education for nurses and community health practitioners. She provides clinical mentorship for healthcare workers and program implementing workforce teams, as well as technical guidance for national policy documents such as Task-Sharing for essential health services and HIV treatment guidelines. She continues to educate and mentor healthcare workers in Nigeria to provide and implement specialized/differentiated and advanced practice HIV care.

Her research interest focuses on HIV treatment access, retention, and outcomes (to reduce disparities) for children, adolescents, and families; health provider education/practice, as well as nursing leadership. Dr. Iwu’s research received Sigma Theta Tau International Global Research Award in 2014, in addition to an adolescent HIV research grant from Rutgers Foundation and Midwifery workforce grant from UK-AID/DFID.

Dr. Iwu serves as a Board Member of Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nurses Schools (CGFNS) Alliance; National Association of Nigerian Nurses in North America (NANNNA); and a member of National Academies of Science, Forum for Innovations in Health Professional Education (IHPE). She actively participates in local and international nursing organizations such as ANAC, ENRS, and holds leadership positions in Sigma Theta Tau, Eta Mu chapter. She was NANNNA’s first Education Committee Chair until 2018. Dr. Iwu is an alumnus of the School of Nursing, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, and School of Midwifery, Iyi-Enu Hospital Ogidi in Anambra State. She is married and blessed with children and grandchildren.