Titus Ng’eno to Helm Duke-Kenya Partnership

The Duke Global Health Institute has tapped one of its own, G. Titus Ng’eno, M.D., a Duke cardiologist and a native of Kenya, to lead its longstanding partnership in the East African country.

Ng’eno, an assistant professor of medicine and global health, began his role as the Kenya Partnership Site Lead on Jan. 1. He will advance the work among Duke, Kenyan and global partners pursuing initiatives to reduce health care inequities in communicable and non-communicable diseases. In addition to DGHI, those partners include Duke’s Hubert-Yeargan Center for Global Health, the Duke-affiliated nonprofit Innovations in Healthcare and Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Eldoret. 

“It’s a great opportunity to support the collaborative education, research and service missions by Duke and our partners,” says Ng’eno. “I look forward to the pursuit of improved health outcomes and initiatives that reduce health inequities in Kenya and globally.” 

Ng’eno will be responsible for strengthening clinical training in cardiology at MTRH and the broader region while mentoring DGHI learners in Eldoret. He’ll also serve as the Duke representative within the Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH) Consortium in Kenya. 

Wendy Prudhomme O’Meara, Ph.D., deputy director of DGHI, says Ng’eno’s commitment to health equity embodies the institute’s values. She’s been based full-time in Kenya since 2007, leading a malaria research program at Moi University and previously serving as the co-field director of research for AMPATH. 

“I’m confident Titus’ leadership will take our partnerships to a new level,” says O’Meara, a professor of medicine and global health. “He is a product of our partnership, making him the ideal ambassador.” 

In 2008, Ng’eno earned his medical degree at the University of Nairobi. He came to Duke in 2013 as an internal medicine resident and four years later, graduated from DGHI’s Master of Science in Global Health program. While at Duke, he completed the Hubert-Yeargan Center’s Global Health Pathway and pursued fellowships in cardiology and advanced cardiac imaging. 

As a cardiologist, Ng’eno focuses on innovative cardiovascular disease interventions to improve health outcomes. He’s been instrumental in growing the cardiology program at MTRH with other Duke faculty, which led to the development of a cardiac intensive care unit, ambulatory cardiology services and a fellowship training program.