Otuto Amarauche Chukwu is a PhD candidate in Health Policy at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto; a Nigerian, he is a licensed pharmacist and multiple award-winning scholar and Social Impact Innovator with over a decade’s experience in health systems strengthening and policy research in sub-Saharan Africa. His PhD research is on cancer control policy where he is specifically exploring strategies to expand access to cancer control services in low- and middle-income countries using pharmacists. 

Otuto believes in transformational leadership and community development and has spearheaded various endeavors in this regard. In 2017, he and two other young Nigerians co-founded MedChain Solutions with a vision to improve medicines supply chains in Nigeria and improve access to medicines at the last mile. The company was instrumental in providing various families and organizations with essential health commodities and services during the COVID-19 lockdown in Nigeria.

His passion for development work and giving back to communities led him to co-founding El Echad Foundation (https://elechadfoundation.org/), a registered non-profit through which he works to empower communities through advocacy and interventions for inclusion, and improved access to education and economic opportunities to fight hunger, poverty, and societal ills. He also runs an annual scholarship scheme for pharmacy students in Nigeria to support their education and research; and supports the AuthorAID network as a Community Administrator for researchers in low- and middle-income countries seeking to build their capacity and networks.

Over the past decade, he has worked for various international development organizations including UNICEF, WHO, and the United States Pharmacopeia’s Promoting the Quality of Medicines Program in Nigeria. He is also experienced in high-level national stakeholder engagement and policymaking, having worked in the Nigerian Parliament for over half a decade. He has won several international research grants and has published in various areas of regional and international policy, health systems strengthening and reform.

He holds several scholarships and awards including being a Vanier and IDRC Scholar; a Junior Fellow at Massey College; a Fellow of the prestigious United States Government Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders; an associate fellow of the Royal Commonwealth Society; the 2023 Michael Decter award for Health Leadership and Policy in Canada; and the Emerging Academic Award, the Gown Awards, University of Toronto.