Omebe Sunday Egwu, MBBS, FAWCS, FMCS, is a pediatric surgeon at Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, and a clinical lecturer at Alex Ekwueme Federal University and Ebonyi State University.
Growing up in southeastern Nigeria, Sunday witnessed numerous avoidable deaths among children due to the lack of hospitals with pediatric surgical capacity, a reality that many children still face today across sub-Saharan Africa. This experience fueled his desire to become a medical doctor.
During his undergraduate years at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Sunday participated in several community-based surgical outreaches that combined health education with screening and referral for common surgical conditions. It was during this time that he realized unmet surgical needs among children were widespread across rural Nigeria, with these experiences shaping his understanding of health inequities at an early age.
Sunday began to reflect on how he could contribute to protecting vulnerable children and preventing these avoidable deaths, eventually becoming convinced that a career in surgery would place him in a strong position to help address this challenge. This conviction guided his decision to pursue residency training in pediatric surgery and obtaining a fellowship of the West African College of Surgeons and the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria in Pediatric Surgery.
Since completing his residency training, Sunday has headed up several impactful initiatives to advance child health in underserved communities. Through advocacy and partnerships with non-governmental organizations, he has led multiple free surgical programs that have provided care to over 500 children in underserved areas in the last four years. Sunday has also partnered with rural and mission hospitals to support free clinical service delivery, quality improvement training, and capacity building in pediatric surgical care. These efforts have improved both access to and the quality of care in these communities. As a community surgeon, he strongly believes that no child with a surgical condition, no matter where they live, should be left behind.
In recognition of this work, he has received several community impact awards, including the Global Surgeon Award and the American College of Surgeons Community Surgeon Travel Award in 2025. Sunday was also appointed to the technical team for Nigeria’s National Surgical, Obstetric, Anesthesia, and Nursing Plan (NSOANP), where he contributed to strategic planning and policy development.
Sunday was particularly drawn to the Global Child Health program in the St. Jude Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences because of its multidisciplinary approach. Training in areas such as implementation science, epidemiology, biostatistics, and health systems will equip him with the skills needed to generate evidence that can inform practical solutions to local challenges. The program’s emphasis on communication, leadership, and collaboration will also prepare Sunday to engage effectively with policymakers, healthcare providers, and underserved communities beyond the operating room.
His goal is to contribute to building systems that ensure no child is denied timely surgical care because of where they are born or their socioeconomic circumstances, with joining this program representing an important step toward achieving that goal.
Hometown: Abakaliki, Nigeria
Education:
2022 FMCS, Fellowship in Paediatric Surgery, National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria
2021 FWACS, Fellowship in Paediatric Surgery, West African College of Surgeons
2007 MBBS, Medicine and Surgery, University of Nigeria, Nsukka
Awards/Honors/Scholarships:
2025 Global Surgeon Award, Healthy and Smart Children Foundation with Afikpo Town Welfare Association
2025 Community Surgeon Travel Award, American College of Surgeons
Publications:
Obasi A.A., Omebe W.E.S, (2024). Prolonged ischaemic priapism in an adolescent with sickle cell anaemia: Challenges of management. J Case Rep Images Surg, 10(1):15–18. https://www.ijcrisurgery.com/archive/article-full-text/100131Z12OA2024.
Omebe S.E., Ekenze S.O., Elebute O.A., Obasi A.A., Afogu E.N., Ulebe A.O., Akpaette I.C., (2024). Anogenital distance in male children with normal external genitalia and those with undescended testis: A comparative study. Science Frontiers, 5(2):96–101. http://dx.doi.org/10.11648/j.sf.20240502.14.
Omebe S.E., Ademuyiwa A.O., Elebute O.A., Obasi A.A., Afogu E.N., Ulebe A.O., Ekenze S.O., (2024). Correlation between anogenital distance and severity of hypospadias in male children. Afr J Urol, 30:45. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12301-024-00447-w
Nwankwo E.P., Onyejesi D.C., Chukwu I.S., Modekwe V.I., Nwangwu E.I., Ezomike U.O., Omebe S.E., Ekenze S.O., Aniwada E.C., (2025). Paediatric perioperative mortality in Southeastern Nigeria: A multicenter prospective study. Niger J Clin Pract, 28(2):225-231. https://doi.org/10.4103/njcp.njcp_695_24.
Ulebe AO, Odo C, Obi AO, Okeke CJ, Ogbobe U, Onyebum O, Omebe S, Eze UB, Obiesie AE, Abiahu J, Orakwe DE., (2025). Orchidectomy: Analysis of the Indications, Methods, and Outcome of the Procedure in a Nigerian Tertiary Care Health Facility. J West Afr Coll Surg, 16(1):23-29. https://doi.org/10.4103/jwas.jwas_34_24
Ugbala, A; Nnadozie, UU; Maduba, CC; Okwara, BO; Orji, EI; Oguonu, AC; Anthony, OK; Omebe, SE., (2025). Comparison of Early versus Late Exposure Methods of Dressing in the Healing of Split-Thickness Skin Graft Donor Sites in a Tertiary Hospital, Southeast, Nigeria. Niger. J. Clin. Pract, 28(9):p 1085-1089. https://doi.org/10.4103/njcp.njcp_250_25