2002 International Travel Fellowship
Anthony O. Okorodudu, PhD, SC (ASCP), DABCC, FACB, received his BA in biological science/chemistry from Rutgers in 1977; his PhD in pathology from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in 1982; and a MS in management, computing, and systems from the Houston Baptist University in 1997. He completed his postdoctoral training in clinical chemistry at Hartford Hospital in Hartford, CT. Dr. Okorodudu is a Diplomate of the American Board of Clinical Chemistry and a Fellow of NACB.
Dr. Okorodudu’s professional career has included serving as a Lecturer I at the Department of Chemical Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria (1982-1986), and as Immunochemist/Fellow, Clinical Chemistry Division, Hartford Hospital, Hartford, CT (1986-1988). Since 1989, he has been with the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston, TX. He is the Director of Clinical Chemistry at the UTMB Hospitals, Director of Outreach Laboratory Services, Director for the Correctional Laboratories for the UTMB/Texas Department of Criminal Justice, and Director of the Clients Services Division for the Department of Pathology at UTMB. Dr. Okorodudu is the UTMB Director for the COMACC-accredited postdoctoral training program in clinical chemistry and directs pathology residents training in clinical chemistry. He is currently supervising the PhD dissertations of two students: one from UTMB and the other from the Department of Biochemistry, University of Benin, Nigeria. He has published more than 100 papers, chapters, and abstracts, and he is actively involved in research and development for the advancement of clinical chemistry. His basic research focus is in the eludication of the pathophysiology of intracellular calcium, magnesium, and hydrogen ions in the pathology of drug-drug interactions, preeclampsia, and type II diabetes. His research activities in clinical chemistry are directed at methods development and systems standardization.
Dr. Okorodudu has served the the Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine (formerly AACC) as local section newsletter editor, treasurer, secretary, and chair. He is currently the Chair-elect for the HOD Steering Committee of the the Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine (ADLM). Dr. Okorodudu is a founding member of the Point of Care Testing Division, ADLM, and a member of several divisions in the ADLM. He was the Newsletter Editor for the Point of Care Testing Division for 2 years. He is an advisor to several NCCLS subcommittees, including the subcommittee on Quality Management for Unit Use Testing. He was the chair of the Membership and Governance Committee, NACB, from 2000 to 2001. Dr. Okorodudu is a member of the IFCC/Scientific Division-Working Group on Selective Electrodes (IFCC/SD-WGSE) and serves on the Editorial Boards of two international journals, Clinica Chimica Acta and the Journal of Point of Care Testing.
Dr. Okorodudu has represented the clinical chemistry profession in several countries, as indicated most recently by his visits to Egypt, Italy, Denmark, Mexico, Poland, and Nigeria. During these international travels, he has presented papers at national and international conferences. At the 2001 2nd Annual Conference of the Nigerian Association for Clinical Chemistry, he presented a paper entitled “Impact of Clinical Laboratory on the National Economy”, and proposed several recommendations that will enhance the practice of clinical chemistry in Nigeria. His contributions to education, services, and research were recognized when he was awarded the “2001 Distinguished Alumni Award” from the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. He is also the recipient of the “2001 Role Model Citation” from Minority Access, Inc. (in cooperation with the Office of Minority Health, NIH).