Dr. Bennet Omalu, M.D., was born in Kano State, Nigeria, where he received his primary and secondary education. He received his medical degree from Kano University School of Medicine in 1983, and was the first Nigerian to receive a medical degree from that institution. He trained at St
Luke's Hospital in Pennsylvania, St. Thomas' Hospital in London, England, and the University of Pittsburgh. After completing his residency training at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, he began his private practice in 1988.
Dr. Omalu is board certified by the American Board of Pathology (ABP) and also certified by the International Society for Neuropathology (ISN).Dr. Omalu has published numerous papers on neuropathology and has made significant contributions to the field of neuropathology through his research into Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE).
His work has been recognized with awards including the ISN's Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Contributions to Neuropathology; the ISN's Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Contributions to Neuropathology; the ABP's Distinguished Service Award for Outstanding Contribution to Neuroscience Research; and the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society's Recognition Award for Outstanding Clinical Research in Neurology for his important discoveries regarding CTE. In 2012, he was inducted into the International Brain Injury Association Hall of Fame as "a leading authority on CTE."
Trust in the great American ingenuity. We can derive more intelligent, more brain-friendly ways we can play football.Bennet Omalu
No, no, I don't watch football. The last time I tried watching was the last Super Bowl. The problem I have is, you know, the graphic nature of my imagination; when I watch and see them meeting head onto head, helmet onto helmet, what flashes through my mind is what's going on in their brains. It's like torture to me.Bennet Omalu
