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About Us

 

Countless people in Africa suffer various disease conditions due to lack of awareness, primary healthcare and access to medications…much of which can be prevented or controlled with proper interventions.
 
Established in 2014, Health First African Missions Inc. is an organization driven by progressive ideas, bold actions, and a dedicated team of healthcare professionals to, not only help those currently suffering various health ailments in Africa, but also to prevent such issues in the future by various means as:
 

  • Promoting/education awareness providing health screenings and provision of basic supplies and medications in Angola.

 

  • Establishing relationships with local government bodies to develop new public health policies.

 

  • Conducting monthly health fairs throughout Africa.

 

  • Collaboration with other organizations with similar missions.​

Health First African Mission Board

Nkechi Ichite, Pharm D, PhD - President/Founder
Nkechi Ichite graduated with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree in 1998 and a Doctor of philosophy degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences in 2009. She currently works for the Department of Health.

Health First African Missions (HFAM) was founded to help address the high incidence of unusual premature deaths in rural African communities. A review of the list of life expectancies published by CIA World Fact book in 2012 revealed that several African countries including Nigeria required urgent heath interventions.
In December 2012, a Pilot Medical Mission was held in two rural communities in Umuahia Nigeria for needs assessment. Results from the health outreach showed that most community members screened for hypertension and diabetes went about their daily lives unaware of their basic health status. For instance a 70 year-old female had a blood sugar level of 546 mg/dL with no idea of such health emergency.

Having established the need for urgent health interventions in rural communities, HFAM was founded as a nonprofit organization with IRS 501-C (3) tax exempt status in 2014.

Through the work of the most committed Board Members, Collaborators, and Donors, HFAM continues to impact the health and lives of some rural communities in Angola and Nigeria Africa. In Angola, we provide the peanut-based Plumpy’Nut distribution which can clear child malnutrition in 3 months, medical supplies, and medications for physicians in the clinics. In Nigeria, HFAM has ongoing hypertension and diabetes diagnosis and treatment.

Andrea J. Murphy, Ph D - Board Secretary
Associate Professor of Management in the School of Business and Industry at Florida A&M University.
 

Barbara Williams MD - Treasurer
Retired Family Physician 
Patients First Tallahassee

Kayla Thomas, PharmD, RPh - Pharmacy Accreditation and Contracts Manager
AdventHealth RxPlus & Expedien Pharmacies 
Sanford, FL

Angela Hill, Ph D, Vice President
Professor and Associate Dean
Taneja School of Pharmacy 
USF, Tampa FL



Dr. Angela Hill is a proud graduate of Florida A&M University. After receiving her Pharm.D. degree, she joined the faculty at the then Florida A&M University College of Pharmacy in 1992 and remained until transitioning to the University of South Florida’s Taneja College of Pharmacy as the founding Chair in 2011. In 2019, Dr.  Hill assumed the role of Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs for the Taneja College of Pharmacy and  is responsible for workforce development and practice transformation initiatives leading community outreach as program director of WE-CARE, the Colleges primary entity for community engagement.

Dr. Hill completed a post-graduate residency in neurology, and a fellowship with the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. She holds certificated in Medication Therapy Management and holds a consultant pharmacy license.

While at FAMU, Dr. Hill began specializing in psychiatry, neurology, geriatrics, and complimentary and alternative medicine and continues to teach  and train didactically and experientially, practice as a geriatric neuropsych specialist, and has done research in areas to include, but not be limited to Alzheimer’s Disease,  Health Disparities, and community-engaged participatory research Attention-Deficit Disorder, Epilepsy, depression. During the pandemic, Dr. Hill completed several research projects focusing on psychological burnout in health professionals, and mental wellness of pharmacy students.

Dr. Hill has practiced as a mental  health consultant for Florida State Hospital,  psychiatric stabilization units, mental health crisis centers, and the Veterans Administration. She is currently a consultant for a Florida Blue grant focusing on training  essentials for pharmacists and other health care professionals, and has coordinated several focus groups connecting the faith community with pharmacists to increase the role of the pharmacist as a community resource for individuals with mental illness.

Although a career academician,  Dr. Hill has also practiced and consulted for community and hospital pharmacy practice, outpatient substance abuse treatment programs, long term care, and developed post-graduate training programs in neurology, psychiatry and geriatrics.

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