“Cynthia Ijeoma Emeafor is a communication scholar whose research centres on public health communication in both broadcast and print media, with a specific focus on maternal and child health in Nigeria. Her work explores how media campaigns influence health behaviours, particularly in the prevention of child-killer diseases, as well as the communication dynamics surrounding maternal health.
Her expertise in the domain led to her appointment as Local Technical Assistant (LTA) with the Department for International Development/Partnership for Transforming Health Systems II (DFID/PATHS2), a programme supported by DFID in Enugu State in 2014. In this capacity, she was instrumental in strengthening the communication capacities of healthcare workers and facilitating community mobilization on key Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health (MNCH) issues. She promoted evidence-based practices endorsed by UNICEF and WHO, including antenatal care, ORS/SSS use, zinc treatment, LLIN usage, exclusive breastfeeding, handwashing and immunization.
In 2018, she joined the Department of Mass Communication at Coal City University, Enugu, as a lecturer. She later advanced her academic career at Madonna University Nigeria, Okija Campus, where she currently teaches across four departments- Mass Communication, Broadcasting, Information and Media Studies, and Thearter Arts-contributing richly to interdisciplinary media and communication scholarship.
Education
Cynthia Ijeoma Emeafor holds a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree in Mass Communication from Imo State University, Owerri (2011). She proceeded to earn a Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in Broadcast, Mass Communication (2015) and in 2022; she was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) in Broadcast/Electronic Media within the field of Mass Communication from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, under the supervision of Professor Nnanyelugo Okoro.
She successfully completed the Entrepreneuship and Digital Innovation for Higher Education (IE4HE) training in 2022-an initiative funded by the British Council in collaboration with the University of Lincoln (UK), ADIRM, and Coal City University, Enugu-under the Innovation for African Universities (IAU) programme. In 2023, she further broadened her leadership portfolio by completing the Responsible Leadership for Women in Higher Education Leadership (WIHEL) programme. This initiative, also funded by the British Council and supported by the University of Lincoln (UK), ADIRM, and the Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (CVCNU), Abuja.
She received award of Excellence/Best student with the best project at LUCINMA Women Development Centre, Akoka Yaba, Lagos State n 2014. She is a member of. African Council for Communication Education (ACCE)
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