JSI’s Chikuba-McLeod and Onyejekwe Recognized for Their Contributions to Public Health

Muka Chikuba-McLeod (left) and Kate Onyejekwe (right) receive this year’s BU School of Public Health Distinguished Alumni Award. Photo by HAKS Media.

Muka Chikuba-McLeod, JSI country director in Zambia, and Kate Onyejekwe, director of JSI’s International Division in D.C., are co-recipients of Boston University’s School of Public Health (BUSPH) 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award. The award recognizes BUSPH alumni who have made outstanding contributions and exemplify dedication to the field of public health.

Chikuba-McLeod and Onyejekwe were honored at a ceremony held during this year’s American Public Health Association Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia. Dean Sandro Galea presented the awards.

“Muka Chikuba-McLeod and Kate Onyejekwe have done distinguished work for decades that advances the health of global populations. They have both taken on some of the hardest challenges in global health—improving lives of people in low-resource settings—implementing programs and overseeing work that has made a tremendous difference for so many,” Dean Galea said.

Chikuba-McLeod has more than three decades of experience in medicine, epidemiology, international health, and development. She has worked at JSI for over 20 years, leading major global health initiatives. Currently, she serves as the chief of party on the USAID SAFE: Supporting an AIDS-Free Era Program and as JSI’s country representative in Zambia. Before her shift to public health, Chikuba-McLeod worked as a physician. In addition to her MPH from BUSPH, Chikuba-McLeod holds a medical degree from the University of Zambia and an MSc in Epidemiology from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Onyejekwe has worked in public health for 27 years. She has technical expertise in family planning and reproductive health, maternal and child health, immunization, HIV, gender and youth programming, community health, capacity building, and pharmaceutical management. Onyejekwe joined JSI in 2015 and now oversees the International Division’s portfolio of global programs, core competency centers, and corporate services teams in Washington, D.C. Onyejekwe holds a bachelor’s degree in English Studies from the University of Ife, Nigeria and a master’s degree in English Studies from the University of Oxford alongside her MPH from BUSPH.

I am accepting this award with enormous gratitude and a renewed dedication to continue the tradition instilled through my BUSPH education, that public health is not a disengaged practice. We must continue to work tirelessly to improve health outcomes for all,” Onyejekwe said in remarks at the ceremony.

To learn more about both leaders, see Language and Love: An Alum’s Approach to Public Health Leadership and ‘I See Them All in My Mind’s Eye’ on the BU website.