Njideka Udochi is an accomplished specialist and healthcare professional with expertise in medical education, epidemiology, pediatrics and emergency medicine. She is recognized as a top primary care doctor in USA and beyond and has featured as a medical expert on doctors’ interviews on CNN, FOX News, CNBC and many others. With numerous medical qualifications, certifications and over 33 years of work experience in her kitty, Njideka is licensed to practice medicine in the United States, and her specialties include family medicine, geriatrics, infectious diseases and HIV/AIDS patient care.

In the wake of her reputed efficiency and uncompromising devotion to her patients, Njideka was announced Baltimore Magazine’s Top Doctor in 2019. Recently too, she was recognized as the Family Physician of the Year 2021 by the Maryland Academy of Family Physicians [MAFP] in Maryland, United States. It is noteworthy that she is the first black female winner of this prestigious award.

She is currently the President of Millennium Health Group, a consortium of multi-specialty physicians committed to providing top-quality healthcare, reducing health disparities, improving access to quality healthcare, and reducing inequalities in the health arena. She is also affiliated to multiple hospitals in the United States, including Ascension St. Agnes Hospital, Baltimore and Howard County General Hospital, amongst others.

Academic Background
Njideka obtained her first degree in Medicine at the College of Medicine, University of Nigeria, Enugu, in 1989. After this, she proceeded for a master’s degree in Public Health at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. She then completed her internship and residency at Holy Cross Family Practice and George Washington University between 1995 and 1998.

In 1999, Njideka successfully pursued a fellowship in geriatric medicine at the George Washington Medical Centre, Washington DC. With a strong belief in the power of continued education, she is currently seeking additional qualifications in Executive MBA as well as Master in Healthcare Leadership [MHS] from Cornell University SC Johnson School of Business and Weill Cornell School of Medicine, respectively.

Work Experience
Njideka began her career in medicine as a house staff physician at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu. There, she provided primary care to patients in four medical disciplines: internal medicine, pediatrics, OBGYN [obstetrics and gynecology] and surgery. She assisted in the emergency room care of patients and supervised family planning and STDs clinics. From 1991 to 1993, she served as Research Associate at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, where she focused on childhood immunization study in Baltimore. She also coordinated data collection activities, developed abstraction forms and telephone interview surveys. Additionally, she also trained and supervised staff on medical record abstraction and telephone interviewing techniques whilst also assisting in analyzing data.

In 1993, Njideka became Project Director at the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Baltimore, where she designed, implemented and assisted in the analysis of data evaluating the State of Maryland’s Personal Care Program. There she also trained and supervised staff and prepared reports of findings for funding agencies and the state.

Between 1994 and 1995, Njideka held the position of Director, Clinical Methods Development at the Center for Health Program Development and Management, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore. A posting she undertook with a mission to enhance the level of care to ailing patients and improve the cost-effectiveness of healthcare. She achieved her goals by developing a screening instrument to identify high-cost Medicaid patients. She also developed training guidelines for screening instruments, oversaw field testing and validation of the tools, identified low-cost interventions and case management options needed for high-cost Medicaid patients. Not stopping there. She also provided medical consultation, clinical direction and oversight of clinical record reviews as well as assisted in the preparation of reports for funding agencies, legislature, research community, as well as national and state organizations.

From 1999 to 2003, Njideka worked as Medical Director of Healthcare for the Homeless (HTH) in Baltimore. In that role, she was responsible for assuring the delivery of quality healthcare to adult and geriatric clients seeking services at the HTH. She also provided clinical leadership to the medical team, whilst recruiting and supervising nurses and physicians, teaching medical students, residents and fellows rotating at HCH. Her remit also included clinical supervision to the operations and management team, implementation and evaluation of program activities, while also developing policies and procedures to ensure compliance with the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). She was also responsible for overseeing the pharmaceutical program at HCH while representing the institution at local, state and national forums.

Furthermore, Njideka took on the role of Medical Director of the Health Education Resource Organization HERO in Baltimore where she put her trademark professionalism to bear in developing, implementing and overseeing the medical clinic providing primary and preventive health services for patients with HIV/AIDS. She also performed supervisory functions and guided all quality assurance activities, combining those with developing and reviewing policies and procedures to ensure compliance with JCAHO measures.

Not stopping there, she also worked as Attending Physician at Kaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantis, Rockville, Maryland, USA, where she attended to children and adults seeking urgent medical problems at Kaiser Permanente urgent care facilities in Maryland and the District of Columbia. She also supervised nurses and physician assistants.

In 2003, Njideka Udochi founded the Millennium Family Practice, Columbia, Maryland a facility that provides primary care services to children, adult and geriatric patients with roots from about 120 countries in a private suburban practice using a Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) care model.

In this role, Njideka has worked with over 200,000 patients from Maryland and Washington, DC. She prides herself on providing quality medical healthcare to first-generation immigrants who are new to the United States. She is widely regarded by patients and colleagues alike as a doctor who treats her patients like family. Although an outstanding medical professional in every respect, she also believes in a healing method apart from prescription only. Therefore, she encourages her patients to draw and paint, while she decorates her office with their handcrafted artworks.

Dr Njideka Udochi’s commitment to humanity, exceptional service to her patients and stellar performance as a medical student and practitioner have earned her many awards and recognitions. Notable among them are:

• Federal Government of Nigeria Scholar, 1982-1988
• Resident Teaching Award: George Washington University Hospital, 1999
• Excellence in Teaching Award: George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, 1999
• Local Hero Award: Health Care for the Homeless Clinicians Network for dedication and commitment to improving the health and quality of life of homeless people, 2002
• Herbert Macaulay Humanitarian Award: CMS Old Grammar School Americas for dedication in improving the care and health of vulnerable populations in Nigeria and the United States, 2017
• Sheroes Award: Maryland Commission for Women for work in the community, improving access to testing and treatment for entire communities during the Covid-19 pandemic, 2020
• Family Physician of the Year: Maryland Academy of Family Physicians, 2021
• Nigeria Women’s Annual: 100 Leading Women, 2021
• Cornell Students Making a Difference: Weill Cornell School of Medicine for collaborative and innovative work to ident and treat patients with Covid-19, 2021

Licenses, Certifications, Fellowships & Memberships
Njideka is licensed to practice medicine in the United States by the State of Maryland and the District of Columbia. She has also been certified by a significant number of professional bodies; these include:

• 1998 American Board of Family Medicine
• 1999 Pediatric Advanced Life Support
• 1999 Advanced Cardiac Life Support
• 2002 Fellow, American Academy of Family Physicians
• 2003 Certified HIV Specialist American Association of HIV medicine
• 2009 American Association of Disability Analysts
• 2015 Certified Medical Examiner Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
• 2019 National Board of Physicians and Surgeons: Family Medicine

As a further testament to the quality of her work, Njideka has earned the membership of numerous Associations and Professional Societies, namely:

• American Academy of Family Physicians
• Maryland Academy of Family Physicians
• American Medical Women’s Association
• American Association of Physician Leaders
• Association of Nigerian Physicians in the Americas
• American Association of HIV Medicine
• American Society of Addiction Medicine

Knowledge Transfer
Njideka is purpose-driven with a mission to create a remarkable healthcare system not only for the present but also for the future. For this reason, she has undertaken numerous initiatives where she freely shared knowledge and experience with others in the medical field. Some of these are highlighted below:

1999-2003 Taught medical students from various medical schools in the United States, including the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

1999-2003 Taught residents in the Internal Medicine Program and Medicine/Pediatric Programs at the University of Maryland during monthly ambulatory rotations at HealthCare for the Homeless.

Taught residents from the Harbor Hospital Internal Medicine Program during ambulatory rotations at HealthCare for the Homeless.

Teaching Assistant for Introduction to Clinical Practice to 1st-year Medical students at the University of Maryland Medical School.

2013-Present Preceptor for Nurse Practitioners. Teaching Family Nurse Practitioner students during ambulatory outpatient rotation at the University of Maryland Department of Nursing.

2016 – Present Providing clinical oversight and teaching to medical students in outpatient clinical practice. Overseeing Resident Physicians in Nursing Home at Ross University School of Medicine, Miramar, Florida.

Clinical Instructor/Preceptor, teaching medical students during monthly ambulatory care rotation at George Washington University School of Medicine.

2019-2020 Provided clinical oversight and teaching to medical students in outpatient clinical practice at the Trinity School of Medicine St Vincent and the Grenadines Adjunct Faculty.

Research Capabilities
Njideka has not only demonstrated a history of performance as a top-rated physician, but she is also an adept researcher. For three years, she researched at The Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health in Childhood Immunization Study. During her research, she coordinated data collection activities, developed abstraction forms and telephone interview surveys. She also assisted in the analysis of data collected. Her research was supported by a grant from the Center for Disease Control (CDC).

Following this, she undertook research in Personal Care Study at the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Baltimore, for a year. She designed, implemented and analyzed data collected to evaluate the effectiveness of the State of Maryland’s Personal Care Program. Her research was supported by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Subsequently, she carried out further research in High Cost User Initiative at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County/D.H.M.H., Baltimore, between 1994 and 1995. She designed and coordinated a study to evaluate healthcare and healthcare expenditures provided to the highest cost patients in the State of Maryland. Her research was supported by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Publications & Volunteer Work
In pursuit of her mission to advance the medical practice, Njideka has contributed to the existing body of knowledge with several journal publications and presentations to her name. Some of them include Influenza A or Covid 19 Reinfection? Making the Right Diagnosis during the Covid 19 pandemic; Abdominal Pain, a Red Herring for Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) A Case Report; Premature Discontinuation of Allergy Immunotherapy-Inadequate Reimbursement by Health Insurers - A Major Factor; Assessment of the effect of Body Position on measurement of peak expiratory flow rate; Primary Care of Covid 19; Covid 19 in Africa (Andach Group WEBINAR); Facts in the Times of Coronavirus (Africa Center Facebook Live) amongst a host of many others.

Njideka has also been actively involved in volunteer works including founding the Central Maryland Equity Vaccine Initiative to save lives. It is a diversity, equity and health promotion targeting under-vaccinated communities for testing and Covid-19 vaccinations. She was also engrossed in her erstwhile role as Education Chair for the Maryland Academy of Family Physicians, whilst she also served as Board Member to Foreign born Information and Referral Network (FIRN).

Current Endeavors
Njideka Udochi seeks to elevate the quality of healthcare delivery worldwide, and this is why as Medical Director and CEO of Millennium Family Practice, she prioritizes providing compassionate and rapid service to all patients. The clinic itself has a wide reputation for providing caring, efficient and affordable healthcare to its patients. Millennium Family Practice is also well known for its diverse, international patients, and equally boasts of richly diverse workforce who can speak over 10 languages. Millennium Family Practice is committed to providing only the very best of medical assistance to all its patients.