Student Spotlight: Samuel Akombeng Ojong
While in primary school in Cameroon, Samuel Akombeng Ojong's father told him he would one day attend Johns Hopkins University. His father's dream is now a reality—Ojong is earning his DrPH at the Bloomberg School and concentrating in Women's and Reproductive Health.

Meet Samuel Akombeng Ojong
- Degree Program: Doctor of Public Health (DrPH)
- Concentration: Women's and Reproductive Health
- Hometown: Mamfe, Southwest Region, Cameroon
- Previous degrees earned: Doctor of General Medicine (MD) and specialist degree in Obstetrics and Gynecology (DES), Centre Universitaire des Sciences de la Santé, Université de Yaoundé I; MSc, Reproductive and Sexual Health Research, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
- Current professional role: Health Manager, UNICEF Mozambique
- Fun fact: My dad told me I would go to Johns Hopkins while I was in primary school in Cameroon. He couldn’t pursue his own education due to a lack of resources, but he dreamed of seeing all his children achieve academic success. I now dream of having him walk on my behalf at graduation.
What sparked your interest in public health?
Witnessing preventable maternal and newborn deaths while practicing first as a GP and eventually as an obstetrician-gynecologist in Cameroon inspired me to address systemic health challenges.
Witnessing preventable maternal and newborn deaths while practicing in Cameroon inspired me to address systemic health challenges.
What are your research interests?
My current interests center on research that explores the intersectionality of women’s health and rights, adolescent health and well-being—particularly mental health and access to holistic services—and maternal and newborn health, with a strong focus on locally driven, innovative solutions to improve quality of care and reduce morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. Besides research, I am deeply engaged in the discourse on decolonizing global health systems. I emphasize shifting the narrative from critique of the existing agenda to empowering the Global South, particularly sub-Saharan Africa, to set and drive its own health agenda.
Why did you choose the Bloomberg School of Public Health?
I chose to attend the Johns ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ because its robust Women’s Reproductive Health concentration perfectly aligns with my immediate and long-term aspirations. The School’s focus on equity-based appraisal of women’s health (including maternal, newborn, and child health), application of population-level statistical methods, and proficiencies in leadership, management, and networking, offer me an exceptional opportunity to scale up my contribution to achieving results for women and children. Furthermore, the School's reputation for fostering high-quality health systems research and equitable public health policies provides an ideal environment for me to enhance my competencies in addressing women’s health gaps and contributing to global health equity. Additionally, my unique experiences as a frontline clinical worker and health manager, public health practitioner, early career researcher, and humanitarian give me a perspective that could prove a beneficial asset to my professors and peers.
What drew you to the DrPH concentration in Women’s and Reproductive Health?
My pursuit of a degree in public health was motivated by witnessing the profound inequities in maternal and newborn health outcomes, notably through a life-changing encounter with a young girl's death due to postpartum hemorrhage in 2012 in Cameroon. Her name was Kumah. This experience propelled me into a career path where I could address systemic health inequities through informed health policies, robust health systems, and effective public health initiatives. My career path choices are deeply intertwined with my work at UNICEF in the DRC, focusing on maternal, newborn, child, adolescent health, HIV, and Health System Strengthening. The DrPH program is a crucial step towards contributing to positive global health alignments and ensuring robust evidence-informed policymaking from a global south perspective.
What do you hope to do or accomplish after graduating from the DrPH program?
In the short-term, the application of population-level statistical methods, designing, evaluating, and analyzing primary healthcare systems, and becoming proficient in leadership, management, and networking, would allow me to scale up my contribution to UNICEF’s mandate of achieving results for women and children. Long-term, I am passionate about contributing to ensuring positive alignment between global maternal and newborn health communities at all levels, from research to policy and practice. My understanding of on-ground realities has equipped me to provide cohesive leadership, and the DrPH program will ensure robust, evidence-informed policymaking and equip an authoritative voice from the global south.