By Dr. Clifford Chimaobi Eke is a renowned Southern Californian surgeon with a great heart and the altruistic desire to transfer acquired professional experience and hard-earned funds to improve human welfare around the world.
Dr. Eke is a Board-Certified General and Thoracic Surgeon at Kaiser Permanente in Fontana and Ontario, California.
He received his Doctor of M edicine degree from Loma Linda University School of Medicine (LLUSM ), completed his General Surgery Residency at Loma Linda University M edical Center and Postdoctoral Fellowship in General Thoracic Surgery at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Fontana. Dr. Eke is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Surgery at LLUSM.
He is also a Fellow of both the American College of Surgeons and the International College of Surgeons and a member of the Residency Oversite Committee of Arrowhead-Kaiser Permanente General Surgery Residency Program. Dr. Eke is in charge of its residents’ rotation and education at the Ontario Medical Center. Evidence has proved that the contributions of Africans in the diaspora have continuously improved lives in areas where such opportunities are limited.
One of such dominant contributions is that of Dr. Eke, the founder and CEO of Chima Medical Missions International, a non-profit organization that provides free general medical care and surgical services in Nigeria.
Dr . Eke is cur r ently the Chair of M edical M ission Committee of the Association of Nigeria Physicians in the Americas (ANPA).
Dr. Eke has led teams of Medical, Surgical, Ophthalmologic, Dental, Pharmaceutical, and Nursing specialists on annual missions to different parts of the world including the undeserved areas of the United States of America, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nigeria.
In ANPA’s largest medical mission in April 2019 to Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria, Dr. Eke and his team attended to over 5,000 patients, did over 70 General, Plastic, and Neurosurgery procedures, 100 Eyes operations, 50 Dental surgeries, and 25 Endoscopies.
They also held training workshops on Opioid Epidemics, and Helping Babies Breath with local healthcare providers.
Dr . Eke w as the Pr esident of the American Cancer Society, California Division in 2011-2012, and cham pioned their fight against cancer through research, education, fundraising, and advocacy.
He has recieved numerous prestigious awards locally and internationally such as:
- 1987 – Pat Fielder Memorial Award, Outstanding Inter national Student at Baylor
- 1997 – Resident of the Year , General Surgery Residency Program Lom a Linda University Medical Center
- 2004 – Americas Top Sur geons fr om the Consumer Research Council of America
- 2006 – The Physician Exceptional Contr ibution Award, for the San Bernardino County Service Area
- 2010 – Black Voice New s Com m unity Builder Aw ar d – 2012 – Ever yday H er oes Aw ar d Kaiser Per m anente
- 2013 – Kaiser Per m anente David Law r ence Com m unity Ser vice Awards
- 2016 – Pr ofessional Excellence Aw ar d fr om Life and Tim es M agazine, USA,
- 2017 – Com m unity & H um anitar ian Ser vice Award from Black Pumps, Inc. and Ethiopian Airlines
- 2019 – ANPA Exceptional Contribution Award