Assistant Professor

Areas of Interest 
minimally invasive pediatric surgery, neonatal surgery, thoracic surgery, critical care, burn, trauma

Biography

Dr. Chinwendu Onwubiko received her medical degree and doctor of philosophy in a dual program from the University of Mississippi Medical Center in 2010. She then completed a general surgery internship at the center in 2011 and went on to complete a pediatric surgery critical care fellowship from Boston Children's Hospital. In 2017, she graduated from her general surgery residency at the University of Mississippi Medical Center before embarking on a two-year pediatric endosurgery fellowship of the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Finally, she completed a pediatric surgery fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco before joining the UAB Division of Pediatric Surgery as an assistant professor in 2021. Dr. Onwubiko is a member of the American Pediatric Surgical Association and the American College of Surgeons.

Select Publications

Small tunneled central venous catheters as an alternative to a standard hemodialysis catheter in neonatal patients.
Chinwendu Onwubiko, David J. Askenazi, Daryl Ingram, Russell Griffin, Robert T. Russell, Vincent E. Mortellaro

Portal Vein Thrombosis Following Splenectomy in Children: Is There a Higher Rate When Using Single-Incision Laparoscopy?
Joseph R. Esparaz, Chinwendu Onwubiko, Vincent E. Mortellaro

Laparoscopic Treatment of Slipping Rib Syndrome in Pediatric Patients.
Anthony I. Squillaro, Katherine Sanders, Chinwendu Onwubiko, Cindy J. Chang, Sunghoon Kim

Gastrosplenic Fistula without Malignancy Management in a 16-Year-Old Boy.
Aila Malik, Chinwendu Onwubiko, Mike K. Chen, Andrei Radulescu, David Galloway, Colin A. Martin

Does the incidence of thoracic aortic injury warrant the routine use of chest computed tomography in children
Mary Arbuthnot, Chinwendu Onwubiko, Michele Osborne, David P. Mooney

Improving imaging strategies in pediatric appendicitis: a quality improvement initiative.
Leah J. Schoel, Ilan I. Maizlin, Tal Koppelmann, Chinwendu Onwubiko, Michelle Shroyer, Ann Douglas, Robert T. Russell

Pediatric Patients with Small-Cell Carcinoma of the Ovary Have Similar Survival to Adults: A Review of the National Cancer Database.
Ilan I. Maizlin, Tate R. Nice, Chinwendu Onwubiko, Melanie Goldfarb, Kenneth W. Gow, Monica Langer, John J. Doski, Adam B. Goldin, Elizabeth A. Beierle

Systemic Thrombolysis of an Occlusive Aortic Thrombus in a Neonate on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation.
Chinwendu Onwubiko, Tal Koppelmann, Alicia M. Waters, Andrei Radulescu, Mike K. Chen, Colin A. Martin, Scott A. Anderson, Robert T. Russell, Vincent E. Mortellaro, David A. Rogers, Elizabeth A. Beierle

The prevalence of incidental findings on computed tomography of the abdomen/pelvis in pediatric trauma patients.
Chinwendu Onwubiko, David P. Mooney

Acute procedural interventions after pediatric blunt abdominal trauma: A prospective multicenter evaluation.
Chase A. Arbra, Adam M. Vogel, Jingwen Zhang, Patrick D. Mauldin, Eunice Y. Huang, Kate B. Savoie, Matthew T. Santore, KuoJen Tsao, Tiffany G. Ostovar-Kermani, Richard A. Falcone, M. Sidney Dassinger, John Recicar, Jeffrey H. Haynes, Martin L. Blakely, Robert T. Russell, Bindi Naik-Mathuria, Shawn D. St. Peter, David P. Mooney, Chinwendu Onwubiko, Jeffrey S. Upperman, Christian J. Streck

Primary laparoscopic gastrojejunostomy tubes as a feeding modality in the pediatric population
Chinwendu Onwubiko, Brent R. Weil, Sigrid Bairdain, Amber M. Hall, Julia M. Perkins, Hariharan Thangarajah, Maireade E. McSweeney, C. Jason Smithers

Focused assessment with sonography for trauma in children after blunt abdominal trauma: A multi-institutional analysis.
Bennett W. Calder, Adam M. Vogel, Jingwen Zhang, Patrick D. Mauldin, Eunice Y. Huang, Kate B. Savoie, Matthew T. Santore, KuoJen Tsao, Tiffany G. Ostovar-Kermani, Richard A. Falcone, Sidney S. Dassinger, John Recicar, Jeffrey H. Haynes, Martin L. Blakely, Robert T. Russell, Bindi Naik-Mathuria, Shawn D. St. Peter, David P. Mooney, Chinwendu Onwubiko, Jeffrey S. Upperman, Jessica A. Zagory, Christian J. Streck

Identifying Children at Very Low Risk for Blunt Intra-Abdominal Injury in Whom CT of the Abdomen Can Be Avoided Safely
Christian J. Streck, Adam M. Vogel, Jingwen Zhang, Eunice Y. Huang, Matthew T. Santore, KuoJen Tsao, Richard A. Falcone, Melvin S. Dassinger, Robert T. Russell, Martin L. Blakely, Patrick D. Mauldin, Bennett W. Calder, Kate B. Savoie, Jeffrey H. Haynes, Bindi Naik-Mathuria, Shawn D. St. Peter, David P. Mooney, Chinwendu Onwubiko, Jeffrey S. Upperman

Contrast enhanced ultrasound for the evaluation of blunt pediatric abdominal trauma
Lindsey B. Armstrong, David P. Mooney, Harriet J. Paltiel, Carol E. Barnewolt, Beatrice Dionigi, Mary Arbuthnot, Chinwendu Onwubiko, Susan A. Connolly, Delma Y. Jarrett, Jill M. Zalieckas

The lost art of the splenorrhaphy
Mary Arbuthnot, Chinwendu Onwubiko, David J. Mooney

The value of official reinterpretation of trauma computed tomography scans from referring hospitals.
Chinwendu Onwubiko, David P. Mooney

Laparoscopic Gastrojejunostomy Tube Placement in Infants with Congenital Cardiac Disease.
Chinwendu Onwubiko, Sigrid Bairdain, Andrew J. Murphy, Maireade E. McSweeney, Julia M. Perkins, Rahul H. Rathod, Christopher W. Baird, C. Jason Smithers

Honors and Awards

2020 UCSF Health Exceptional Physician Award

Education

Medical School/Doctor of Philosophy
University of Mississippi Medical Center

Internship
University of Mississippi Medical Center, General Surgery

Residency
University of Mississippi Medical Center, General Surgery

Fellowships
Boston Children’s Hospital, Pediatric Surgery Critical Care Fellowship
UAB, Pediatric Endosurgery Fellowship
University of California, San Francisco, Pediatric Surgery Fellowship

Contact

Office Address
Lowder 300

Phone
Patient Appointments and Questions: 205-638-9688
Academic Office: 205-638-5332

Email
cconwubiko@uabmc.edu