USA Health expands pulmonary care with addition of Chibuzo Odigwe
New pulmonary provider brings a wealth of global experience, leading-edge clinical expertise, and a deep commitment to patient-centered care to his role.
By Michelle Ryan-Day
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Chibuzo Clement Odigwe, M.D., MHA, an accomplished pulmonologist and intensivist, recently joined USA Health, the academic health system for the University of South Alabama.
Born in Enugu, Nigeria, Odigwe brings a wealth of global experience, leading-edge clinical expertise, and a deep commitment to patient-centered care to his role.
“I am guided by a 'patient-first' mindset, as I firmly believe in putting the patient first and center in all that we do and plan,” he said, “with our initial and ultimate goal being the maximization of patient well-being, healing and satisfaction.”
Odigwe settled on a career in medicine relatively early in life. His path took him through training in Nigeria, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
He completed his medical studies at the University of Calabar College of Medical Sciences and the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital in Nigeria. He completed his residency in internal medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago/Presence St. Joseph Hospital, where he distinguished himself as Resident of the Year and received multiple accolades for teaching and humanitarian service.
Odigwe then pursued a pulmonary and critical care fellowship at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in Columbia, South Carolina, where he was awarded the Jason Spiers Award for Best Teaching Fellow.
He was a recipient of the Aubrey Sheiham Public Health and Primary Care Scholarship, which is offered annually by The Cochrane Collaboration to health workers, consumers and researchers living in developing countries. Odigwe spent three months at the UK Cochrane Centre in Oxford, England, which was the first center dedicated to conducting systematic reviews of medical research, particularly randomized controlled trials.
“During medical school and for the first few years after, I was drawn first to internal medicine and subsequently developed a strong interest in pulmonary and critical care medicine,” he said, “being attracted to its multidisciplinary nature and the opportunity it provides to leverage technology and physiology to improve patient outcomes.”
Most recently, Odigwe practiced pulmonary and critical care medicine at Infirmary Health’s Diagnostic and Medical Clinic in Mobile, where he was one of the physicians in the hospital's inaugural intensivist program.
He also participated in the Internal Medicine Residency Programs of both Thomas Hospital and Mobile Infirmary.
At Mobile Infirmary, he also served as associate program director and faculty for the outpatient pulmonary medicine and ambulatory internal medicine programs. At Thomas Hospital, he served as a teaching faculty/preceptor for the pulmonary and critical care medicine program. Residents at Thomas Hospital awarded him The Crystal Apple Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2024.
An assistant professor of internal medicine in the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine, Odigwe is board-certified in internal medicine, pulmonary medicine, and critical care medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine.
He is a member of numerous professional societies including the American Thoracic Society, American College of Chest Physicians, Society of Critical Care Medicine, and Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine.
Odigwe, who most recently completed a Master of Health Administration at Louisiana State University, has clinical interests in evidence-based medicine, medical education, and advanced pulmonary critical care.
His work spans complex ICU cases, lung disease management, and the use of emerging technologies in respiratory care.
Odigwe developed a strong interest in medical education and research in the academic setting early in his career.
“As the saying goes, 'to teach is to learn twice,'” he said. “Practicing in an academic health system like USA Health will enable me to use state-of-the-art resources and facilities to provide my patients with world-class pulmonary care. It also enables me to participate in research and contribute toward the education of my younger colleagues, while also ensuring that I stay current and competent in my specialty.”
Odigwe has experience treating acute respiratory distress syndrome, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), sarcoidosis, non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis, interstitial lung disease, obstructive sleep apnea, pulmonary embolism and more.
He is accepting new patients at the Mastin Internal Medicine clinic located at 2451 University Hospital Dr., Suite 102 in Mobile. To schedule an appointment, call 251-470-5890.
