Prof. Cheluchi Onyemelukwe leads HELC. A lawyer for a decade and a half, she has expertise in Health Law and Policy. She has advised on a wide range of legal and policy issues in, health, social protection and inclusion, governance and development sectors. One of the few experts in health law in Nigeria, she possesses extensive knowledge of Nigeria’s health system, health law and health policy.

She is involved in health sector reform efforts on-going at the national level, including in the areas of health financing and universal health coverage.  Most recently, she has advised on, and helped developed guidelines under the recent National Health Act (2014). She has advised on health financing at national and state levels, drafted health legislation nationally and internationally, and helped developed policy, including Nigeria’s National Health Policy (2016).

Her consulting experience includes work in both the private sector, advising companies most health care companies, most recently on e-health risk management. Her work has also included legal analysis and advocacy, report writing, documentation and research for international development organisations and donor organisations based in Nigeria such as the World Bank, Canadian International Development Agency, the UKAID-funded PATHS 2 Program and Pharmacess.   Her capacity building work includes training for lawyers, judges of Nigeria’s superior courts of record, and for health professionals, including conducting trainings for nurses and doctors.

She holds a doctorate degree in law from Dalhousie University, Canada. She has a First Class degree in law from the University of Nigeria.  Her academic awards include the prestigious Killam Scholarship, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Fellowship Training Award, Dalhousie University Graduate Studies Award, the Justice Olujide Somolu Prize for Civil Procedure at the Nigerian Law School and Best Graduating Student award at the University of Nigeria, as well as a nomination for the University Medal for the Best Doctoral Thesis at Dalhousie University.  Her research has been published internationally and addresses issues of health governance, health rights, gender and youth amongst other matters.