Peter Amollo Odhiambo
Encyclopedia
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of thoracic
Thoracic surgery
Thoracic surgery is the field of medicine involved in the surgical treatment of diseases affecting organs inside the thorax . Generally treatment of conditions of the lungs, chest wall, and diaphragm....
and cardiovascular surgery at the University of Nairobi
University of Nairobi
The University of Nairobi is the largest university in Kenya. Although its history as an educational institution goes back to 1956, it did not become an independent university until 1970 when the University of East Africa was split into three independent universities: Makerere University in...
. He is a founder
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
and former chairman of the Kenya Cardiac Society
Kenya Cardiac Society
The Kenya Cardiac Society is a non-governmental, non-profit making organization found in Kenya. Its aim is promote cardiac health and cardiac-related activities in Kenya. It was founded by the late Prof. Hillary Ojiambo and Prof. Peter Odhiambo, and eight members of the 1980 Kenyatta National...
, and a former president of the Pan African Society of Cardiology (PASCAR). Odhiambo is the chairman of the Kenya Tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
Control Board. He is also the founder and editor of Medicom, the African Journal of Hospital Medicine
Medicom, the African Journal of Hospital Medicine
Medicom is the African Journal of Hospital Medicine, published in Nairobi, Kenya, by Update Publishers, founded and edited by Professor Peter Odhiambo....
.
In 1986, Prof. Odhiambo was given an award for an outstanding contribution in medicine by the Giant Federation of Kenya, and in 1993 received another award from PASCAR for his distinguished service to cardiology in Africa. He was the Dean of Nairobi University’s Faculty of Medicine from 1992-1996. During his tenure, he successfully steered the faculty towards cost-sharing through its most difficult period for both staff and students.
Odhiambo has campaigned widely against drug abuse and is at the forefront in the fight for the liberation of tobacco farmers in East Africa
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
. He is involved in many community projects in his home village of Kanyaluo, found in Rachuonyo District
Rachuonyo District
Rachuonyo District is an administrative district in the Nyanza Province of Kenya. Its capital town is Kosele, formerly it was located in Oyugis. The district has a population of 307,126 and an area of 945 km² . The district has two constituencies: Kasipul Kabondo and Karachuonyo.- External links :*...
in Western Kenya. He is a founder member and chairman of the Karachuonyo Development Society.
In 1998, Odhiambo’s son, James Ocholla Odhiambo “Jordan”, was mistaken for an armed robber and gunned down by Kenyan policemen
Kenya Police
The Kenya Police is a national body in charge of law enforcement in the East Africa State of Kenya. While organised at a national level, each arm reports to a Provincial police authority, which in turn divides its force by local Police Divisions, headquartered at local police stations...
on his way home from the Nairobi Campus of the United States International University, where he was a student. The tragedy, which exposed corruption in the Kenya Police
Kenya Police
The Kenya Police is a national body in charge of law enforcement in the East Africa State of Kenya. While organised at a national level, each arm reports to a Provincial police authority, which in turn divides its force by local Police Divisions, headquartered at local police stations...
at that time, received wide media coverage and was a major source of motivation for Prof. Odhiambo’s interest in, and consequent campaigns toward, the efficiency and effectiveness of the Kenya Police
Kenya Police
The Kenya Police is a national body in charge of law enforcement in the East Africa State of Kenya. While organised at a national level, each arm reports to a Provincial police authority, which in turn divides its force by local Police Divisions, headquartered at local police stations...
.
In 2008, Odhiambo won an award from the World Health Organization
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
for his accomplishments in the area of tobacco control.
Prof. Odhiambo was educated at the University of Calcutta
University of Calcutta
The University of Calcutta is a public university located in the city of Kolkata , India, founded on 24 January 1857...
, Nairobi University and McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
. He resides in Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
and has five children.