Dr Iobi is a Banaban who grew up in Rabi, Fiji. He is now mainly based in Tarawa, Kiribati.
Iobi attended medical school in Fiji and has undertaken specialty training in infectious and tropical diseases at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine & Hygiene, University of London; Research Institute of Tuberculosis, in Tokyo; the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. He has worked in the Cook Islands, Fiji and Kiribati.
Iobi’s work experience straddles both public health service delivery as a practitioner and health educator of the disease control programme, as well as research, policy and planning. Iobi understands health financing, curriculum development, workforce planning, programme management, proposal development and nursing needs. Iobi is aware and concerned about the impact of climate change on infectious diseases.
He is keenly aware of the importance of finding solutions that are appropriate for the context, the people, and the issue. He achieves solutions by being a team player.
Iobi’s experience in Pacific health systems is combined with negotiation skills, international relations experience to establish and manage partnerships, public speaking and presentation skills, combined with a strong cultural and traditional understanding of the norms in most Pacific countries, which means he is skillful at getting results and making a difference.
As a father raising six sons with his wife, a fellow medical doctor, Iobi knows the importance of empowering people and communities to deal with their own health issues.