WASHINGTON (July 23, 2020) – Born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, Dr. Ngozi Rosalin Monu moved to the U.S. in 1998 to swim for Howard University (1998-01) under the direction of Dr. Newton Jackson.
 
In her first season, she became HU's first female medalist at the NCAA Division I Southern States Conference Swimming Championship in the women's 50-meter freestyle, earning the bronze medal.
 
In addition to the numerous athletic accomplishments, Monu received Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) honors for her academic achievements, being named team MVP for the 1999-2000 season.
 
Academically, she made the dean's list every year while working as a research assistant in the laboratory of Dr. Attanu Duttaroy. Monu was a member of the HU Chapter of the National Society of High-Achieving Scholars and the Golden Key Honors Society.
 
Throughout her matriculation, Monu continued to compete internationally, representing Nigeria in the All African Games and the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia.
 
After graduating magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree in biology (May 2001), she moved to New York City to join the PhD program in Biomedical Science at the Sackler Institute of New York University (NYU).
 
Monu returned to competitive swimming after a 12-month break, training and competing with a NYC U.S. Masters team. She continued to make a name for herself, eventually winning the silver medal in the women's 50-meter freestyle at the eighth All African Games in Abuja, Nigeria.
 
In 2006, she graduated with a PhD from NYU and started a postdoctoral fellowship at the Cancer Institute at NYU soon after. During her doctoral training, she was the recipient of the Keystone Symposia Education Fund Scholarship. She also tutored medical students in the field of Immunology and was involved in several mentorship programs, dedicated to bringing about exposure of the sciences to underrepresented communities.
 
That same year (2006), Dr. Monu co-founded a U.S. Masters team, the NYC Hydras, where she trained while playing a major role in running the team.
 
A year later (2007), she represented Nigeria at the 12^th FINA World Aquatics Championship in Melbourne, Australia and the ninth All African Games in Algiers, Algeria where she was a finalist in the women's 50-meter freestyle. She also competed in the 100-meter and 200-meter freestyle, along with relay events.
 
Dr. Monu took part in the ninth FINA Swimming World Championship (25M) in Manchester, Great Britain where she went on to represent Nigeria at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China, competing in the women's 50-meter free.
 
Retiring from international competition after the Beijing Olympics, Monu continued to manage the NYC Hydras Masters swim team and joined the coaching staff as an assistant. In 2011, she became owner and NYC Hydras Head Coach while pursuing her postdoctoral training.
 
In her career, she has published 11 articles in peer-reviewed journals in the field of Cancer Immunology, co-authored a patent, and presented research at several academic and scientific conferences across the country and internationally.
 
In 2014, Dr. Monu embarked on a new journey to fulfill a lifelong dream of becoming a physician. She enrolled as a medical student at Weill Cornell Medical School in New York City.
 
Five years later (2019), she graduated with her M.D. and several accolades as president of various organizations and recipient of awards, such as the Dr. James Curtis Scholarship and the William J. Ledger Prize in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
 
Currently, Dr. Monu is a second-year resident in the field of Obstetrics and Gynecology at New York Presbyterian – Weill Cornell, New York, and a mother of two.
 
About Where Are They Now?
 
The new weekly series of "Where Are They Now?" appears each Thursday throughout the year.
 
The series will feature former student-athletes from all sports and eras, highlighting their careers as athletes at the University and what they are presently doing.
 
All interested former athletes and their coaches should submit a short bio, a recent head shot and contact information on how they can be reached via email to Lauren Stewart (lauren.stewart@bison.howard.edu) and Derek W. Bryant (derek.bryant@howard.edu).
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.