Charles Rotimi

For more than two decades, Charles Rotimi, Ph.D., chief of the Metabolic, Cardiovascular and Inflammatory Disease Genomics Branch at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), has studied the causes of complex diseases and health disparities. This oral history traces a path from Dr. Rotimi’s early work studying lung and stomach cancer at Ford Motor Company in Cleveland, Ohio, to his work on Human Heredity and Health in Africa, an NIH initiative to develop large-scale population studies by African researchers on African populations. Dr. Rotimi’s oral history also offers insights into the complexities of community engagement and the importance of international scientific efforts. NHGRI’s Oral History Collection features discussions with influential figures in the field of genomics and about the history of institute. Intended for researchers and scholars, each oral history contains information about science and medicine, biographical details and insights into the inner workings of the institution and its initiatives.