Dr. Ijeoma Opara, a distinguished Nigerian-American scientist and an Associate Professor in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Yale University School of Public Health, was recently awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) by US President Joe Biden for her research in public health, particularly among urban youth.

Here are 7 things to know about Ijeoma Opara:

1. Opara is one of the latest Nigerians including Azeez Butali, Oluwasanmi Koyejo, Oluwatomi Akindele, Eno Ebong and Abidemi Ajiboye to receive the highest honour bestowed by the US government on young scientists and engineers.

Other earlier awards include the NIH Director’s Early Independence Award in 2020 and the NIDA Racial Equity Initiative Visionary Pioneer Award in 2023. She also earlier received the John D. Slade, MD Memorial Advocacy Award and the Woman of Impact Award.

2. Opara lost her parents at a young age due to illness. She lost her mother to diabetes and her father to a heart attack. This painful loss shaped her decision into public health to dismantle the systemic barriers that contribute to poor health with a focus on black girls.

3. Opara is committed to educating and mentoring future researchers by providing lab visits and internships to high school and college students in urban areas.

4. Her study has been crucial in demonstrating how race, as a social construct shaped by white supremacy and anti-black racism, affects health outcomes.

5. Opara holds a PhD in Family Science and Human Development from Montclair State University, a Master’s degree in Social Work from New York University, a Master’s degree in Public Health in Epidemiology from New York Medical College, and a Bachelor of Arts’ degree from New Jersey City University.

6. Opara is the founder and director of Stony Brook University’s Substance Abuse and Sexual Health Lab, as well as an associate professor at Yale School of Public Health. She was previously an assistant professor at Stony Brook University and a lecturer at Columbia School of Social Work.

7. She also heads a consulting outfit that provides training to adolescents, community-based groups, businesses and schools on different themes pertaining to substance use prevention and sexual health.