Dr. Patrick Dakum

Patrick Dakum is the Chief of Executive Officer & Project Director of the Institute of Human Virology, Nigeria (IHVN) as well as a Director on the Board of Directors of IHVN. He coordinates the interdisciplinary responsibilities of the Institute for effective program output in addition to providing overall management of the Nigerian team in implementing the AIDS Care and Treatment in Nigeria (ACTION) Project, now ACTION-PLUS Up.

Patrick Dakum also liaises with other US Government partners and the Government of Nigeria partners to ensure the success of the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) ACTION-PlusUp Project in the country. He also coordinates IHVN participation in implementing the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria programs.

He is also an Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine in the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore. Through the Fogarty-sponsored UM-IHV AITRP research training grant, Dr. Dakum is brokering a research training agenda to build capacity of IHVN and several academic and research partners linked through the PEPFAR program. Former Information and later Health Commissioner in the Government of Plateau State of Nigeria, Dr. Dakum trained as a medical doctor at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in Nigeria and Lagos University Teaching Hospital where he earned a Masters Degree in Public Health. His public health career has spanned through the telecommunication industry (NITEL), multilateral agencies (UNFPA), bilateral agencies implementing partners (AVSC, CEDPA, CIDA) and local NGOs (Help International).

Dr. Dakum, who was also a UNFPA local consultant to the French Embassy and Canadian CIDA on health sector bilateral assistance, loves to play table tennis and is a biblical scholar.