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Ekemini A. Ogbu, MD, MSc

  • Rheumatology Faculty Administrator, Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology Center
  • Assistant Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
  • Adjunct Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University
“I strive to provide compassionate care. My philosophy is to 'treat the child with a disease', and not focus on treating the disease alone. Having a rare disease is often isolating and challenging. I believe children and families should be supported through their journey.”

About

Biography

I’m a board-certified pediatric rheumatologist and physician-scientist specializing in rheumatologic autoimmune and autoinflammatory conditions in children. I am an assistant professor of pediatrics at Cincinnati Children’s within the University of Cincinnati Department of Pediatrics. In this role, I serve as the rheumatology lead for the Cincinnati Children’s Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology Center. Before joining the faculty at Cincinnati Children’s in 2021, I led the pediatric rheumatology clinics and service at Johns Hopkins University and directed the multidisciplinary pediatric lupus clinic.

I strive to provide compassionate care. My philosophy is to “treat the child with a disease” and not focus on treating the disease alone. Having a rare disease is often isolating and challenging. I believe children and families should be supported through their journey. By providing a comprehensive and evidence-based approach to managing my patients, I aim to achieve the best possible outcomes. I believe in partnering with my patients and families and the primary care provider.

My research includes clinical and translational studies to improve outcomes for childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE). In particular, I am studying how we can identify cSLE early and predict risks of severe outcomes. I also study how lupus affects the brain and nervous system, and its association with blood disorders such as antiphospholipid syndrome.

Throughout my career, I have been honored to receive several academic awards and recognitions. I was recognized as a Top Doctor by Baltimore Magazine in 2020.

I currently serve on the Pediatric Rheumatology Special Committee of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). I am the co-chair of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Pediatric Residents Program. I serve on the advisory council of the Pediatric Rheumatology Collaborative Study Group (PRCSG).

I am a member of the Clinical Immunology Society, Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance, Pediatric Rheumatology European Association, American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Women Association.

MD: University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.

Residency: Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA.

Chief Resident: Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA.

Fellowship: Emory University, Atlanta, GA.

Master of Science in Clinical Research: Emory University, Atlanta, GA.

Certification: General Pediatrics; Pediatric Rheumatology.

Interests

Systemic lupus erythematosus; vasculitis; Kikuchi-Fujimoto’s disease; juvenile dermatomyositis; autoinflammatory disorders; systemic-onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis; macrophage activation syndrome; complex primary immune deficiencies and immune-dysregulation syndromes that overlap with rheumatologic diseases

Services and Specialties

Rheumatology, Lupus Center

Interests

Pediatric systemic lupus erythematosus - neuropsychiatric lupus; autoimmune cytopenias; antiphospholipid syndrome

Research Areas

Rheumatology

Insurance Information

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Publications

Treatment Guidelines in Pediatric Rheumatic Diseases. Ogbu, EA; Brunner, HI. Rheumatic Disease Clinics of North America. 2022; 48:725-746.

International Consensus for the Dosing of Corticosteroids in Childhood-Onset Systemic Lupus Erythematosus With Proliferative Lupus Nephritis. Chalhoub, NE; Wenderfer, SE; Levy, DM; Rouster-Stevens, K; Aggarwal, A; Savani, SI; Ruth, NM; Arkachaisri, T; Qiu, T; Merritt, A; et al. Arthritis and Rheumatology. 2022; 74:263-273.

Principles of pediatric lupus nephritis in a prospective contemporary multi-center cohort. Vazzana, KM; Daga, A; Goilav, B; Ogbu, EA; Okamura, DM; Park, C; Sadun, RE; Smitherman, EA; Stotter, BR; Dasgupta, A; et al. Lupus. 2021; 30:1660-1670.

Lupus Mesenteric Vasculitis: A Rare Initial Presentation of Pediatric Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. Ogbu, EA; Rouster-Stevens, K; Vega-Fernandez, P. Journal of Clinical Rheumatology. 2021; 27:e181-e182.

Impact of autoimmune cytopenias on severity of childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus: A single-center retrospective cohort study. Ogbu, EA; Chandrakasan, S; Rouster-Stevens, K; Greenbaum, LA; Sanz, I; Gillespie, SE; Marion, C; Okeson, K; Prahalad, S. Lupus. 2021; 30:109-117.

Discontinuing adalimumab in patients with controlled juvenile idiopathic arthritis-associated uveitis (ADJUST-Adalimumab in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis-associated Uveitis Stopping Trial): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial. Acharya, NR; Ebert, CD; Kelly, NK; Porco, TC; Ramanan, AV; Arnold, BF; Doan, T; Gonzales, JA; von Scheven, E; Angeles-Han, ST; et al. Trials. 2020; 21.

Prioritized Agenda for Mental Health Research in Pediatric Rheumatology from the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance Mental Health Workgroup. Rubinstein, TB; Ogbu, EA; Rodriguez, M; Waqar, L; Woo, JM P; Davis, AM; Lapin, WB; Ng, L; Treemarcki, E; von Scheven, E; et al. Journal of Rheumatology. 2020; 47:1687-1695.

The ethical quandary of the clinician researcher: Is the conflict too great?. Ogbu, E; Prahalad, S. Joint Bone Spine. 2020; 87:385-386.

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