Case Summary:

A Nigerian expert in the field of epidemiology came to NAILG seeking help with his NIW (National Interest Waiver) case. He was an associate director and had been working in the field for the past 4 years. His proposed endeavor was designing robust scientific studies and conducting and analyzing data from those studies using advanced statistical techniques to generate evidence that improves treatment options and increases access to innovative medicines for patients with hard-to-treat cancers using advanced statistical techniques that elucidate the epidemiology of the disease. This meant that his work promoted the improvement of health around the world by producing scientific studies on the impact of access to family planning, education, and medical care in accordance with the United Nations’ sustainable development goals. So evidently, his work was considered nationally and internationally significant.

More generally, his research helps to improve public health through the study of social determinants of health and their impact on healthcare. By studying the role social determinants of health play in the cost, quality, and amount of treatment provided, he was helping to enable the improvement of healthcare to the public, especially those individuals with unmet social needs. This was why his work was also supported by the National Institutes of Health with financial aid. One of his 4 recommending experts said the following:

“[Client’s] research is crucial in the United States’ fight to achieve health equity, which is hindered by systemic disparities in our healthcare system. Disparities in prostate cancer mortality are particularly alarming. Although the total number of deaths from prostate cancer has dropped among all men, black men have the highest prostate cancer mortality rate among all population groups; currently, they are twice as likely as white men to die of prostate cancer. [Client’s] work delineating the relationship between self-identified social needs and population health provides a viable method for integration of social data with medical data and compelling, quantitative evidence of its efficacy in improving population health.”

His extensive professional background spans academia and industry producing 11 peer-reviewed journal articles (1 of them first-authored) which have been cited a total of 90 times according to Google Scholar around the world. Furthermore, this work was funded by a large managed care organization.

Our client studied links between medical claims data and social-need-based referral data to gain insights into critical determinants of health and promote effective health measures. His research on maternal and child health in developing countries also stands out in the field due to his analytical epidemiological methods. This successful experience has prepared him to advance medical treatment for cancer patients by increasing access to medicine. Thus, it was undoubtedly clear that his work needed to continue here in the United States.

So, when his approval came through we were very happy to have worked with him and we wish him all the very best in his future endeavors.