Draft:Moses Obimbo Madadi



Moses Obimbo Madadi, is a Kenyan clinician - scientist, researcher, and educator. He is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Human Anatomy and Medical Physiology at the University of Nairobi; and serves as an obstetrician and gynaecologist at The Kenyatta National Hospital. Obimbo is also the Honorary Secretary of The Kenya Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society.

He also serves as acting Associate Dean- Faculty of Health Sciences in acting capacity at The University of Nairobi and Principal Investigator at – Basic, Clinical and Translational (BCTr) Research Laboratory, and the Kenya Aids Vaccine Initiative, Institute of Clinical Research (KAVI – ICR).

In November 2021, Obimbo Calestous Juma Science Leadership Fellow Leadership Fellow by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to develop tools to study the vaginal microbiome and metabolites during pregnancy. Furthermore, he holds the position of Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology for Eastern and Central Africa (JOGECA).

Early life and Education
Growing up Obimbo always wanted to study medicine, he was particularly fascinated by developmental anatomy - Embryology. This fascination steered his academic pursuits, leading him to obtain a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery degree from the University of Nairobi in 2006. He furthered his education by acquiring a Postgraduate Diploma in Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Science Education from Uppsala University/ University of Nairobi in 2008.

Afterwards, Obimbo pursued a Master of Science in Human Anatomy from the University of Nairobi and later a Master of Medicine in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the same university, completing it in 2016. He had earned a PhD degree in Human Anatomy in 2014. He studied the anatomy of the uterine vascular system and the impact of HIV and antiretrovirals on the placental milieu from the University of Nairobi in 2014.

In 2016, Obimbo pursued a Postdoctoral fellowship as a Fogarty Global Health Fellow at the University of California Global Health Institute, expanding his expertise in global health issues and research methodologies. Subsequently, in 2017, he engaged in another Postdoctoral fellowship with the Preterm Birth Initiative at the University of California, San Francisco, concentrating on addressing the critical issue of preterm birth.

Career and Research
From 2007 to 2010, Dr. Moses Obimbo served as a Tutorial Fellow in the Department of Human Anatomy at The University of Nairobi, before transitioning into a dual role as a Lecturer in Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Human Anatomy in 2011. Concurrently, he expanded his educational reach by serving as a Part-time Lecturer at Kenyatta University. From 2016 to date, Obimbo transitioned to clinical practice as a Specialist Obstetrician and Gynaecologist and a researcher.

Dr Moses Obimbo also pursued a Postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California Global Health Institute during this time, broadening his understanding of global health issues and research methodologies. He later transitioned to the role of Research Scholar at the Centre of Reproductive Sciences, University of California San Francisco (UCSF) in 2017, under the mentorship of faculty members Professor Susan Fisher and Professor Craig Cohen. Dr Moses Obimbo embarked on a study aimed to correlate the HIV status of mothers with various aspects of placental architecture in preterm births, shedding light on the intricate relationship between HIV infection and preterm delivery.

Additionally, Dr. Obimbo has been the Principal Investigator at the Basic, Clinical, and Translational laboratory – Placenta Lab since 2018, contributing significantly to advancing knowledge in the field of placental research.

Presently, he holds the position of Professor and Chair of the Department of Human Anatomy and Medical Physiology at the University of Nairobi. In this capacity, he oversees academic programs and research endeavors. After being awarded the Calestous Juma Leadership Fellowship in 2021, Obimbo is investigating vaginal tract infections, pathways associated with the deranged vaginal microbiome and and metabolomics, to help identify predictive biomarkers and intervention strategies for improving pregnancy outcomes in Kenya. These data will be used to develop artificial intelligence-assisted prediction models that could be used as valuable screening tools to identify at-risk pregnancies for early interventions.

Awards and Honours

 * Calestous Juma Science Leadership Fellowship, 2021-2026
 * Preterm Birth Initiative, University of California San Francisco, 2017
 * GloCal Health Fellowship from University of California Global Health Institute at the University of California San Francisco, 2016 -2017
 * International Mentored Scientist Award in HIV/AIDS from the University of California San Francisco, Fall 2014/2015
 * John J. Sciarra IJGO Prize Paper Award Honorable mention 2010. Best clinical research article from low/middle income country

Publications

 * 1) Lwamulungi E, Qureshi Z, Obimbo M, et al 2023. Placental characteristics and neonatal weights among women with malaria-preeclampsia comorbidity and healthy pregnancies. PLoS One. 2023;18(10):e0291172. Published 2023 Oct 19. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0291172.
 * 2) dam KY, Obimbo MM, Gitaka J, Walong E, Ogutu O, Ojwang SBO 2023. Histomorphometric features of placentae from women having malaria and HIV coinfection with preterm births. Preprint. medRxiv. 2023;2023.10.30.23297751. Published 2023 Oct 31. doi:10.1101/2023.10.30.23297751.
 * 3) Anangwe D, Obimbo MM, Ongidi I, Gichangi P 2023. Reversible effect of castration induced hypogonadism on the morphology of the left coronary arteries in adult male rabbits. Anatomy and Cell Biology. https://doi.org/10.5115/acb.23.196.
 * 4) Omosa-Manyonyi GS, de Kam M, Tostmann A, Masido MA, Nyagah N, Obimbo MM, van der Ven A, Oever TJ. Evaluation and optimization of the syndromic management of female genital tract infections in Nairobi, Kenya. BMC Infect Dis. 2023;23(1):54.
 * 5) Published 2023 Aug 22. doi:10.1186/s12879-023-08442-2 7. Bundi PK, Odula P, Obimbo MM, Ogonda-Ihunwo A, Nkomozepi P, Karau M (2022). Changes in double-cortin immunoreactive neurons in the prefrontal cortex of male rat following chronic Khat use. Indian Journal of Clinical Anatomy and Physiology 9(2):85-89.
 * 6) Obimbo, M., Omanwa, K. (2023). Rhesus isoimmunization: An underappreciated reproductive risk. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of Eastern and Central Africa, 35(2), 74. https://doi.org/10.59692/jogeca.v35i2.36.
 * 7) Bundi PK, Odula P, Obimbo MM, Ogonda-Ihunwo A, Nkomozepi P, Karau M (2022). Changes in the GFAP immunoreactive astrocytes in the prefrontal cortex of the male rat following chronic Khat use. Journal of microscopy and ultrastructure.
 * 8) Bundi PK, Odula P, Obimbo MM, Karau M (2022). Gross morphometric indices of the cerebral cortex of the Winistar Rat following chronic use of Khat. International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR) 11(5):138-144.
 * 9) Kobia F, Maiti K, Obimbo MM, Smith R, Gitaka J (2022). Potential pharmacologic interventions targeting TLR signaling in placental malaria. Trends Parasitol. 38(7):513-524. doi: 10.1016/j.pt.2022.04.002
 * 10) Gesaka R. Obimbo MM, Wanyoro A (2022). Coronavirus disease and Placenta. Placenta. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.placenta.2022.07.007
 * 11) Otieno, M., Ndung’u, B., Kigera, J., Kaisha, W., Kimanthi, C., & Obimbo, M. (2023). Morphometry of Placentae of Anaemic and Non-anaemic Preeclamptic Patients. International Journal of Medical Students, 10, S157. https://doi.org/10.5195/ijms.2022.1748
 * 12) Kabare G, Muthuuri N, Sarna K, Gwala F, Amuti T, Olabu B, Obimbo MM, Ogeng’o JA (2022). Perception and challenges of health science students toward elearning in a Sub-Saharan African country: a multi-institutional study. Annals of African Surgery 19 (1): 16 -22 DOI: 10.4314/aas. v19i1.
 * 13) Singoei M, Obimbo MM, Odula PO, Gitaka JN, Ongidi IH (2021). Changes in the structure of chorioamniotic membrane in patients with malaria in pregnancy. Placenta, 18;114:42-49. doi: 10.1016/j.placenta.