The United States Mission in Nigeria has commended Nigerian-American physician and entrepreneur, Dr Ikenna Okezie, for his contributions to transforming kidney care and expanding access to quality healthcare in the US.

The mission, I’ a post on its X handle on Friday, described Okezie as the Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Somatus, a company that provides in-home dialysis support for patients with chronic kidney disease.

The post read, “Nigerian-American physician and entrepreneur Dr. Ikenna Okezie is transforming kidney care as CEO and co-founder of Somatus, a company providing in-home dialysis support for patients with chronic kidney disease. Through innovation and a commitment to expanding access to quality healthcare, his leadership is helping improve lives and reshape care delivery across the United States.”

Okezie was born in Nigeria but moved to the United States at the age of two, and was raised in Detroit, where his father and elder brother, who are physicians, influenced his attraction to medicine.

He graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics, and later earned a dual Doctor of Medicine and Master of Business Administration from Harvard, with the business degree focused on finance and entrepreneurship.

Before founding Somatus, Okezie served as Group Vice President at DaVita Inc., where he oversaw the strategic, operational and financial management of a $1bn business unit with more than 4,000 employees and 600 contracted nephrologists in the Mid-Atlantic region. He had earlier worked as an Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Company and a Managing Director at the Advisory Board Company.

Somatus, co-founded by Okezie and Anthony Welters, is a value-based care company that partners with nephrology, cardiology and primary care groups, health plans and health systems to provide integrated care for patients with, or at risk of developing, kidney disease and congestive heart failure.

The company, valued at approximately $2.5bn, has grown into one of the leading innovators in specialised healthcare management, reflecting a broader shift in the US healthcare industry towards value-based care. (The PUNCH)

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