Dr. Anekwe joined the Department in 2020 as an Assistant Professor of Teaching and the Academic Site Lead for the Master of Physical Therapy North (MPT-N) program. He also holds an Affiliate Lecturer position in the Northern Medical Program at the University of Northern British Columbia. Dr. Anekwe earned his Master of Science and PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences from McGill University, Canada, followed by postdoctoral training at Concordia University, Canada.

In his role as the MPT-N Academic Site Lead, Dr. Anekwe is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of the academic components of the MPT-N program. He collaborates closely with the Associate Head, Academic of the MPT Program, to ensure the program’s integrity and equitable delivery. Dr. Anekwe oversees all academic matters related to student performance in the North. Additionally, he serves as the Stream Coordinator for the Cardiorespiratory content of the MPT program and contributes to teaching various clinical courses. He is also in charge of recruiting and training Clinical Skill Assistants to support the teaching program in the North.

Dr. Anekwe brings a unique combination of clinical and academic expertise to his role. Before joining the department, he served as the Clinical Head of various units within the physiotherapy department at Federal Medical Centre, Ido-Ekiti, a tertiary teaching hospital in Nigeria. He was also involved in academic research and teaching at McGill University’s Master of Physical Therapy Program.

Prior to 2020, Dr. Anekwe’s research interests focused on respiratory and exercise physiology, respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, and rehabilitation in critical care. His work aimed to develop evaluative measures and treatment strategies to improve respiratory and physical function, exercise capacity, and quality of life across both acute and chronic care phases. He contributed to the 2019/2020 Canadian Association of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation Guidelines and is currently involved in developing a Learning Needs Assessment Tool for physiotherapists working in the ICU.

Since joining the department, Dr. Anekwe has shifted his scholarly focus toward interdisciplinary pedagogy, student learning, and distributed health professions education.