Nigerian Scholar Chinyelu Maureen Uzoma Joins USDA’s Cochran Fellowship

By Ugo Aliogo

In a move that reaffirms Nigeria’s growing role in global agricultural development and public health advancement, Chinyelu Maureen Uzoma, health policy advocate, and public health expert, was among the selected international professionals chosen to participate in the 2022 Cochran Fellowship Program, sponsored by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The intensive fellowship, themed “U.S. Beef and Dairy Genetics,” took place in October 2022, across multiple U.S. states known for excellence in cattle breeding and dairy production.

The Cochran Fellowship Program, launched in 1984 by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and administered by the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), offers short-term, specialized training in the U.S. for agricultural professionals from emerging and developing economies. Designed to strengthen global agricultural ties and trade, the program equips fellows with practical knowledge, exposure to advanced U.S. agricultural systems, and access to global innovations. For African experts, the fellowship delivers transformative impact by building capacity in areas such as food safety,

biotechnology, agribusiness, livestock genetics, and agricultural policy. Participants return home to implement modern practices, improve food security, and influence national agricultural strategies. The 2022 cohort was particularly notable for its focus on beef and dairy genetics—key to addressing productivity challenges and public health in countries like Nigeria. Beyond technical training, the program cultivates high-level networks with U.S. institutions, promotes long-term trade partnerships, and enhances Africa’s integration into global agricultural value chains. As a public health expert, Uzoma recognized that livestock genetics programs represent a foundational intervention in the One Health approach, addressing the interconnected health of people, animals, and ecosystems. Her participation brought a unique perspective that bridges agricultural innovation with population health outcomes.
Among the 13 fellows drawn from various developing countries, Chinyelu Maureen Uzoma represented Nigeria with distinction, bringing both her strong academic background in public health and her specialized expertise in healthcare policy. With years of field experience working with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Uzoma understood firsthand how livestock health directly impacts community health outcomes.

Her selection for the program was based on a competitive proposal that uniquely emphasized the public health dimensions of livestock genetics. The proposal focused on introducing genomic tools and crossbreeding strategies to enhance not only productivity and disease resistance of indigenous Nigerian cattle, but also to reduce antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a critical global public health crisis. Her proposal highlighted how healthier animals through genetic selection could reduce reliance on antibiotics, thereby protecting both animal and human health.

The proposal also emphasized the adaptation of U.S. genetic technologies to tropical environments with specific attention to zoonotic disease prevention and food safety enhancement, vital considerations given the climatic and ecological differences between the U.S. and Sub-Saharan Africa.

During the fellowship program, Uzoma engaged in high-level sessions with U.S. animal breeding scientists, geneticists, and agribusiness leaders, consistently applying her public health expertise to evaluate interventions. Uzoma participated in workshops at leading U.S. land-grant universities where fellows studied genomic selection for disease resistance traits. Her public health background allowed her to appreciate how selecting for mastitis resistance in dairy cows and respiratory disease resistance in beef cattle directly contributes to reducing antimicrobial use, thereby combating AMR, one of the top 10 global public health threats according to WHO.

During visits to commercial dairy and beef operations in Wisconsin, Uzoma observed how genetic programs optimize traits like milk composition (protein, fat quality, beneficial fatty acids) and beef carcass quality. From her public health perspective, she understood how these improvements could produce animal products with enhanced nutritional profiles, including higher omega-3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which are linked to cardiovascular health benefits in human populations.
Demonstrations of digital record-keeping systems, Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs), and decision-support tools revealed to Uzoma how robust animal identification and pedigree recording systems serve dual purposes, genetic evaluation and rapid disease outbreak containment. Her public health training helped her recognize how these traceability systems are essential for foodborne illness investigations and zoonotic disease surveillance.

Through collaborative networking with U.S. extension professionals, semen producers, livestock associations, Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP), University of Wisconsin-Madison, Agriculture College Campus and other international fellows, Uzoma gained insights into regulatory frameworks governing veterinary drug use (FDA-CVM), food safety standards (FSIS), and disease surveillance systems (USDA APHIS). Her public health expertise allowed her to translate these regulatory approaches into strategies applicable to Nigeria’s context.

Uzoma expressed particular interest in the U.S. models of integrating genetics with business intelligence tools, viewing them through the lens of population health outcomes. “The program was not only academically enriching but practically transformative from a public health standpoint,” she said in an interview with THISDAY. “It gave me a clear roadmap for integrating genetics, technology, local adaptation, regulatory advocacy for backward integration initiative and public health principles into Nigeria’s livestock systems to create healthier communities.”

Since returning to Nigeria, Uzoma has begun implementing a pilot dairy improvement initiative in Plateau State with integrated public health monitoring, with plans to expand to Kaduna and Niger States. Her post-fellowship activities demonstrate the practical application of public health expertise. Establishing partnerships with local breeders and cooperatives to introduce high-merit U.S. Holstein-Friesian semen through strategic crossbreeding, while simultaneously implementing community health education programs about safe milk handling and consumption practices.

Conducting field training on reproductive management, genetic selection, and animal health for extension officers and veterinary technicians, with added modules on zoonotic disease prevention, food safety protocols, and antimicrobial stewardship principles.

Developing comprehensive data systems for recording not only milk yield, fertility rates, and growth performance of hybrid calves, but also health indicators that impact food safety and public health outcomes. This holistic approach was inspired by her understanding of U.S. herd management standards viewed through a public health lens.

Uzoma has initiated collaborations with Nigerian universities, research institutions, and livestock industries to mainstream animal genetics into both the national livestock improvement agenda and public health policy frameworks, aligning with the Federal Government’s objectives under the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP) and Nigeria’s National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance.
Her story reflects not only the broader mission of the Cochran Fellowship but also demonstrates how public health expertise can amplify agricultural interventions. Through this program, the USDA not only supports capacity building but also fosters mutually beneficial partnerships that recognize the interconnected nature of human, animal, and environmental health.

“The knowledge I gained will not stay in lecture halls or research papers, it will reach herders, farmers, cooperatives, and ultimately the communities they serve across Nigeria,” Uzoma affirmed. “By blending advanced genetics with local expertise and public health principles, we can transform our beef and dairy sectors from subsistence to sustainability while protecting and promoting community health.”
In a time when food security, climate resilience, antimicrobial resistance, and rural development are high on national and global health agendas, Uzoma’s participation in the 2022 Cochran Fellowship marks a significant milestone. It highlights both the talent Nigeria has to offer and the critical importance of integrating public health expertise into agricultural development initiatives.

Her work stands as a testament to what happens when agricultural expertise meets public health knowledge and international opportunity, positioning her as a leading figure in Nigeria’s livestock transformation story and a champion of the One Health approach. Through her unique combination of animal science and public health expertise, she demonstrates how livestock genetic improvement can serve as a powerful intervention for improving population health outcomes while enhancing agricultural productivity.

This integrated approach offers a replicable model for other developing countries seeking to harness agricultural innovation for broader health and development goals, proving that the most sustainable solutions emerge when we recognize and act upon the interconnected nature of human, animal, and environmental health.