Obiora Onwuameze, MD

Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, Clerkship Director
Psychiatry

    About me

    Dr. Obiora Onwuameze completed medical school at the College of Medicine University of Nigeria in 1990 and proceeded to the University of Iowa where he completed his MS and PhD program focusing in Epidemiology in 2008.  In 2012, he completed his psychiatry residency training at the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics and the same year was nominated to participate in the NIH funded Career Development Institute two-year fellowship through the University of Pittsburgh and Stanford University.  It was also in 2012 that he joined the faculty of the Department of Psychiatry SIU School of Medicine as an Assistant Professor. He has held several leadership positions and is currently the Director of Clerkship, Medical Director of the Community Support Network and Medical Director of the Behavioral Health Unit at St. John’s Hospital.

    His research focuses on the broad area of schizophrenia spectrum disorders and severe/chronic mental illness with a specific focus on risk factors and predictors of clinical outcome.  His doctoral training in epidemiology and the NIMH funded research career development fellowship has been fundamental to his research career.  Most of his earlier work had focused on public health.  Dr. Onwuameze has several recognitions and awards including receiving the Winokur’s Resident Research Award for the best research thrice during his residency training at the University Of Iowa Carver College Of Medicine. Also, in 2012 he received the American Psychiatric Association Eli Lilly Resident Research Award, the American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology New Investigator Award, and was selected to participate in the NIH funded Career Development Institute two-year fellowship. Dr. Onwuameze’s mentorship of resident research has resulted in recognition for excellence in Faculty Mentorship in Psychiatry Resident Research, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine June of 2014 and 2016.  Since joining the Department of Psychiatry, he has continued to collaborate with his colleagues nationally on original research resulting in several peer reviewed publications, book chapters, presentations in national conferences/meetings, abstracts. His clinical research focuses on the epidemiology and outcomes of schizophrenia spectrum disorders has led to multiple year grant funding from the NIH/SAMSA for the Assisted Outpatient Program to SIUMED and other collaborators. He is a member of the board American Academy of Clinical Psychiatrists, member editorial board Annals of Clinical Psychiatry, and a member committee on Clinical Psychopharmacology Curriculum Residency Training for the American Society for Clinical Psychopharmacology amongst others.

    Gender

    Male

    Additional languages spoken

    Ibo,
    French,
    Spanish

    Education & training

    Positions
    Clinical Psychiatrist
    Board Certifications
    Psychiatry
    Medical School
    College of Medicine University of Nigeria, Enugu, Nigeria
    Undergraduate Degree
    University of Iowa College of Public Health, Iowa City, IA - Doctor of Philosophy
    Residency
    University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics, Iowa City, IA - Department of Psychiatry
    Fellowship
    College of Medicine, University of Nigeria, Enugu, Nigeria - Research fellowship in the study of malaria

    Academic Location

    Academic Office

    319 East Madison Springfield, IL 62701
    Mail Code: 9642

    Research

    Research Interests
    Schizophrenia, Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Late Life Psychosis, Multiple System Atrophy, Alcoholism, Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome, and Burn Patients.

    Publications

    Obiora E. Onwuameze, MD PhD, Sergio Paradiso, MD PhD. Social adaptive functioning, apathy and nondysphoric depression among nursing home dwelling very old adults.Psychopathology 2014; PMID 25171652

    Obiora E. Onwuameze, MD PhD1, Ki Won Nam MD2, Eric A. Epping MD PhD2, Thomas H. Wassink D2, Steven Ziebell2, Nancy C. Andreasen MD PhD2, Beng-Choon Ho MD2  . MAPK14 and CNR1 Gene Variant Interactions: Effects on Brain Volume Deficits in Schizophrenia Patients with Marijuana Misuse Accepted for publication Psychological Medicine 2013: 43(3): 619 – 631.

    Onwuameze OE, Paradiso S, Peek-Asa, Donham K, Rautiainen RH. Modifiable risk factors for depressed mood among Iowa.  Annals of Clinical Psychiatry, 2013: 25(2): 83 – 90.

    Onwuameze OE, MD PhD, Paradiso S, MD PhD, Schultz S, MD. An initial study of modifiable and non-modifiable factors for late life psychosis. IJPM 2011; 42(4): 437 – 451.

    Onwuameze OE MD PhD, McCormick L, MD, Beeghly J, MD Yasser K, MD. Maintenance ECT in patient with Multiple System Atrophy and Bipolar type 1 disorder. JECT 2012; 28(2): 1-2.

    McCormick L, MD, Onwuameze OE MD PhD, Buchanan S, MD, Paradiso S, MD PhD. Beyond Alcoholism: Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome in Patients with Psychiatric Disorders. Cogn Behav Neurol 2011; 24(4): 209 - 216.

    McCormick L, Onwuameze OE MD PhD, Paradiso S. Nutritional aspects of eating disorders, addiction and substance use disorders in Eating disorders, addictions and substance use disorders. Springer- Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg, 2014.

    Shady N. Hayek, MD, Lucy A. Wibbenmeyer, MD, Lyn Dee H. Kealey, MS, Ingrid M. Williams, MD, Resmiye Oral, MD, Obiora Onwuameze, MD, PhD, Timothy D. Light, MD, Barbara A. Latenser, MD, Robert W. Lewis, Gerald P. Kealey, MD. The Efficacy of Hair and Urine Toxicology Screening on the Detection of Child Abuse by Burning. J Burn Care Res 2009; 30:587-592.

    Wibbenmeyer L, Appelgate D, Williams I, Light T, Latenser B, Lewis R, Kealey G, Chen Y, Onwuameze O, Herwaldt L. Effectiveness of universal screening for vancomycin-resistant enterococcus and methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus on admission to a Burn-trauma step-down unit. J Burn Care Res 2009; 30:648-656

    Onwujekwe OE, Shu EN, Nwagbo DFE, Uzochukwu BSC, Onyido A, Onwuameze OE. Assessing payment and pricing issues in establishing demand-responsive systems for community-based insecticide-treated nets programmes in Nigeria. Journal of College of Medicine 2003. 8(2): 36-39

    Awards

    Memorial Medical Center Foundation award 2015: Living well objectives and treatment as usual (TAU) v TAU for frequent ED admissions and hospitalization. February, 2014 – December, 2015: $16, 740.00

    X2 Dept of Pysch Resident Research Award to Faculty 2014

    ASCP New Investigator Award 2012; APA/Lilly 2012 Resident Research Award

    Winokur 2012 Research Award University of Iowa

    America Association of Directors of Psychiatry Residency Training (AADPRT) International Medical Graduate Fellowship award- 2011

     

    Clinical trials

    Trial
    Psychiatry

    Click: Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of a Digital Therapeutic as an Adjunct to Standard-of-Care Antipsychotic Therapy in Adult and Late Adolescent Participants with Experiential Negative Symptoms of Schizophrenia

    Active recruiting

    CT-155-R-001: The purpose of this study is to investigate if digital therapeutics (a moblie software application) can help treat certain symptoms of schizophrenia.