The U.S. Army Health Clinic at Pine Bluff Arsenal has a new doctor.
Maj. (Dr.) Arthur C. Okwesili has been here approximately eight weeks, and is still getting settled in to a new routine. He and his wife, Lynda, come to the Arsenal from the Washington, D.C. area, where Okwesili was assigned to the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Silver Spring, Md.
"I was there for three years in Silver Spring but I spent a year in Baltimore, Md., getting my Masters in public health at Johns Hopkins University," said Okwesili, who has been in the Army for six years as active duty and four years as a reservist.
Originally from Nigeria, Okwesili said he is from the eastern part or what he calls the "friendly part" of the country. "There is such a difference between the north and the south part of Nigeria. They really should have been two different countries," he said. He came to the U.S. in 1997. "I've spent the same time in the U.S., as I was in Nigeria."
Since he joined the Army, Okwesili said he moved around a bit before deciding he wanted to focus on public health.
"I went to medical school for four years, and then went to work at Walter Reed to study general surgery. I decided that wasn't for me and then was sent to Korea for two years," he said. "Public health to me is true medicine. Here in the U.S. we wait until people are really sick before we treat the disease. What we should focus on is prevention and talking to the public before that ever happens. It is easier, cheaper and a lot can be done."
Okwesili said that working here in the Arsenal's Occupational Health Clinic is like working in public health. "This is a sub-specialty of preventative medicine. It is all about keeping healthy people healthy," he said. "The military is on top of that."
Growing up, he said he was always interested in science. "In fact when I came to the U.S. and started the 10th grade, I had never taken any courses other than science and math. When I got here I started history and everything else," he said. "I knew really quickly that science was the area I wanted to move toward, but I needed everything else to be a well-rounded person."
The warm reception he and his wife have received since coming to the Arsenal has been great, said Okwesili. "They greet you here and that is different from living in the city. I have found that I am very adaptable," he said. "I love D.C. and I have been to a lot of cities, but I think this is the greatest area I have lived in. I think this area will make me grow."
Okwesili said that working with an all-civilian workforce will give him a different perspective on things. "When I leave here and go back to working with the military, I feel like I will be better prepared. The more you interact with different people, the better your knowledge," he said.
As the medical officer, Okwesili said that the clinic is designed where he will have more administrative duties. "Since I'm still settling in, Capt. Salvador Ortiz (physician assistant) and I have divided shifts with one coming in early and one staying later. He will see more patients than me," he said. "It really depends on how busy the clinic is going to be, and we work it out. I have not found a typical day yet."
Once he gets settled in, the morning hours at the clinic will be for patients and the afternoon will be more administrative duties. "I am also going to start visiting all the work sites. For instance, if I see an injury I would like to see where it occurred," he said.
Okwesili takes the placen of Lt. Col. Diego Gonzalez who moved with his wife, Sandra, during the summer to Korea.
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