Chidi Akusobi was born in Nigeria and immigrated to the Bronx at the age of 2. He attended Yale University, where he majored in Biology, specializing in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. While at Yale, he was involved with several STEM education and outreach programs. He also conducted research for 2 years in a microbiology lab and presented his research at several conferences. After graduating in 2012, he spent a year at the University of Cambridge pursuing a Masters of Philosophy (MPhil) research degree in biochemistry under a Gates Scholarship.

After a year of enduring English weather, Chidi excitedly returned to the US where he worked in the communications department of TB Alliance, a non-profit organization dedicated to developing new treatments for tuberculosis. He also engaged his passion for STEM outreach by teaching chemistry at an afterschool science program in New York City. Chidi is now a New Pathway M1 MD-PhD student at HMS. His main academic interests include microbiology, infectious disease, and epidemiology. He is especially interested in microbial evolution research and how it intersects with disease progression and treatment. On campus, Chidi is involved in the Student National Medical Association (SNMA) where he serves as Program Coordinator. His main responsibility includes planning events that further SNMA’s mission and engaging the chapter with the medical school and wider Harvard and Boston communities. Chidi is also a non-resident tutor at Harvard College where he works as a pre-medical advisor to undergraduates. Outside of the classroom, Chidi enjoys dancing, watching superb shows and documentaries, and exploring city neighborhoods.