In response to Nigeria’s alarming child mortality rate—where 1 in 8 children dies before the age of five—Dr. Odiraa Nwankwor, a Pediatric Intensivist at Cooper University Health Care, launched a groundbreaking initiative to establish Pediatric Intensive Care Units (PICUs) in Nigerian hospitals. Through the Health Place for Children Initiative and Cooper’s Global Health Program, Dr. Nwankwor spearheaded the procurement and shipment of essential ICU equipment, in partnership with Nemours Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children. In 2020, he led a mission team to Nigeria to set up the first PICU and train local medical personnel in pediatric critical care. Despite travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, he coordinated a second shipment in 2021 with the support of 14 Cooper medical student volunteers. This ongoing effort continues to strengthen critical care capacity in Nigeria, empowering local healthcare professionals and significantly improving outcomes for critically ill children. The project stands as a model for sustainable, life-saving global health collaboration.
