Bennet Omalu is a Nigerian born physician who holds eight degrees and certifications in the medical sciences and business management. He attended medical school and holds a Doctor of Medicine [MB,BS] degree from the University of Nigeria, Enugu from where he graduated in 1990. He holds a Masters in Business Administration degree from the Tepper School of Business, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He also holds a Masters in Public Health degree in Epidemiology from the Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Dr. Omalu holds four board-certifications from the American Board of Pathology in four subspecialties of medicine including forensic pathology, neuropathology, clinical pathology and anatomic pathology. He is also holds a board certification in medical management from the American Association of Physician Leadership and is a Certified Physician Executive.

Dr. Omalu has received three honorary PhD and Doctor of Science degrees from two universities in the United States, and from the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland in recognition of his work and expertise in brain injury and trauma. He has received numerous awards from across the world in recognition for his work and expertise in brain injury and trauma in both living and deceased patients. Dr. Omalu has received the “Distinguished Service Award” from the American Medical Association [AMA], which is the highest and most prestigious award a physician can receive from the AMA. He has been honored by the United States Congress for his work on brain injury and trauma and he has appeared on multiple occasions before committees of the United States Congress and committees of State Legislatures across the United States advising them on matters relating to brain injury and trauma, death investigation and the administration of justice.

Dr. Omalu identified and described Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy [CTE] in a retired football player, when he performed an autopsy and examined the brain of Mike Webster. Subsequently, he identified CTE in other high-impact, high-contact sports athletes and in military veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder [PTSD]. His work and life have been featured extensively in all media platforms across the world, and in a major Hollywood film, “Concussion” released in December 2015 by Sony Motion Pictures, in which the renowned actor, Will Smith, played him as Dr. Omalu. Several New York Times best-selling books have also been published on his life and work including “The League of Denial” and “Concussion”. He has published several books and his memoir “Truth Doesn’t Have a Side” was published in August 2017. His latest book was published in 2018 and is titled “Brain Trauma in Contact Sports: What Parents Should Know Before Letting Their Children Play”. He has published extensively in the medical and scientific literature authoring many scientific papers and book chapters, with a major focus on brain injury and brain trauma. He continues studying brain trauma and is currently collaborating with other researchers looking for ways to definitively diagnose and treat CTE in living patients.

Dr. Omalu is the President and Medical Director of Bennet Omalu Pathology and is a Clinical Professor of Medical Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of California, Davis medical school. He is an appointed member of the Traumatic Brain Injury Board of the State of California. Dr. Omalu is married to his wife Prema and they have two children, Ashly and Mark. They live in Vineyard, California.