Prof Nnodu is Professor of Haematology and Blood Transfusion, Director, Centre of Excellence for Sickle Cell Disease Research and Training at University of Abuja (CESRTA), the National Coordinator of the American Society of Hematology Consortium for Newborn Screening in Africa (CONSA), the Nigerian Principal Investigator for SPARCO, Abuja Coordinator for SickleGenAfrica and Co-PI for the UK NIHR Patient centred management of sickle cell disease in Sub Saharan Africa, MPI for mAnaging siCkle CELL diseasE through incReased AdopTion of hydroxyurEa in Nigeria (ACCELERATE).
Prof Nnodu is a UK Foreign Office Chevening Scholar who has carried out many multi-institutional, multi-national research projects including a multilateral DFID DeLPHE Project. She serves as expert on technical committees on non-communicable diseases with the Nigerian government and as consultant for international agencies including the WHO AFRO. Between 2018-2019, she carried out an assessment of the level of implementation of the WHO AFRO Strategy in SCD in sub-Saharan Africa high burden countries and the findings highlighted the need for increased global funding for SCD. In 2019, she led a successful application for the inclusion of point of care tests for sickle cell disease in the essential diagnostics list of the WHO - EDL3. As National Coordinator for CONSA, over 27,000 babies have been screened for sickle cell disease in 25 primary health cares in the FCT and over 8,000 babies in Nigeria and five African countries using innovative low-cost point of care tests in.
In 2019 she was featured in the Faces of Sickle Cell Disease by the US NIH National Heart Blood and Lung Institute. Prof Nnodu is a Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Medicine and Chairs the largest sickle cell disease network in Africa i.e., the Sickle Cell Support Society of Nigeria. She led the section on Screening and Prevention in the Lancet Haematology Commission on Sickle Cell Disease. Professor Nnodu has been appointed the Special Adviser to the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Services on Sickle Cell Disease.