Nwaneri named president of Iowa Oncology Society

The following is a statement from Sakeer Hussain, MD, immediate past-president of the Iowa Oncology Society.

On behalf of the Iowa Oncology Society, I am delighted to announce the appointment of Matthew Obinna Nwaneri, MD, MBA, Associate Professor & Medical Director, Iowa Oncology Network, University of Iowa Health Care, as our President.

Dr. Nwaneri is an active member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, American Society of Hematology, American Medical Association, and American Association for Cancer Research. His clinical work focuses on leadership issues in medicine, breast cancer care, improving cancer care access for rural Iowans and underserved populations, especially rural oncology practice – having worked in Faribault, Minnesota; Mount Pleasant, Muscatine, Fairfield, and Fort Madison, Iowa. His wide range of experiences and expertise helps him to relate to all patients who are faced with a cancer diagnosis and talk to patients and their families in a way that helps them to understand their illness and explore viable treatment options. He sees breast cancer patients at the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, is part of the Breast, Colorectal, and Genitourinary Tumor Boards at the University of Iowa Health Care – Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, and teaches medical students at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine.

Dr. Nwaneri is board certified in medical oncology and board eligible in internal medicine and hematology by the American Board of Internal Medicine. He is a 1989 graduate of the University of Nigeria, Enugu, Nigeria, and completed his pre-registration one-year internship at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital; Internal Medicine Residency at Abbott Northwestern Hospital – University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; and his fellowship in Hematology, Oncology, and Bone and Marrow Transplantation at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics in Iowa City, Iowa. He recently received an Executive Masters in Business Administration from the Tippie College of Business at the University of Iowa – May 2019.

With over 20 years of clinical and administrative experience, he worked in private practice for 8 years, and 10 years in academic practice. From 2014 to 2016, he set up an oncology practice in Lagos, Nigeria, from the ground up. Dr. Nwaneri brings a wealth of training and experience; and will help us continue working toward our mission of achieving quality healthcare across the State of Iowa.

It has been a privilege to serve as President of the Iowa Oncology Society for the past 2 years, and I am proud of the remarkable work we have done—and will continue to do—to provide high-quality, patient-centered care.   

Sakeer Hussain, MD
Oncologist/Hematologist, Heartland Oncology & Hematology
Immediate Past-President, Iowa Oncology Society