08/29/2023
Cleveland Clinic researcher serves as army reserve captain to provide global health services
Army Capt. Ronald Ottichilo, a microbiologist and Research Program Manager in the Lerner Research Institute lab of Florian Rieder, MD, is currently deployed as a U.S. Army Reserve solider and recently served in his native Kenya on a medical and humanitarian mission.
Capt. Ottichilo joined the Southern European Tack Force, Africa (SETAF) in December 2022, on active-duty orders for operational support which enable part-time service members, such as Guard and Reserve members, to serve full-time for a temporary length of time. Upon arrival to headquarters based in Vicenza, Italy, he learned he would soon be in route to his native Kenya.
In February 2023, Capt. Ottichilo traveled to Kenya where the Kenyan Defense Forces hosted a multinational exercise that brought together approximately 20 countries from four continents to increase partner readiness for peacekeeping missions, crisis response and humanitarian assistance.
“My role at the exercise was to provide real-world medical advice to exercise participants to prevent illness from infectious diseases and injury,” said Capt. Ottichilo. “But what I really enjoy is seeing how SETAF fully integrates medical assistance into the exercise, providing care to U.S. soldiers and African partner nations alike.”
His team disseminated critical information that informed health protection such as circulating infectious diseases of military interest, Kenyan plant life and wildlife to avoid, as well as the kinds of dangerous insects, ticks and poisonous spiders that live within the area of operation.
Capt. Ottichilo said he was encouraged to be part of an exercise with lasting impact, especially one based in his native country. “It was humbling to come back to my roots,” said Capt. Ottichilo.
“Previously, I only worked with the civilian population,” said Capt. Ottichilo. “But the military gave me a chance to gain valuable leadership skills such as leading an entire surgical unit, the 366th Surgical Detachment based in Twinsburg, Ohio.”
According to Capt. Ottichilo, his philosophy on life was shaped at an early age by his family and surrounding community. Humility, patience and giving every human an equal opportunity to succeed is what drives him.
“My family and mentors have been patient with me,” said Capt. Ottichilo. “Without that, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
After earning his master’s degree at Maseno University in Kenya, Captain Ottichilo moved to the United States in 2017, joining the Cleveland Clinic as a medical researcher. His research in the Rieder lab focuses on immunology, specifically, how the body can heal itself.
“Capt. Ottichilo is a natural leader with a high level of emotional intelligence," said Dr. Rieder, staff in the Department of Inflammation & Immunity at the Lerner Research Institute. "We are humbled by his service and can’t wait to have him back directing our research unit."
Capt. Ottichilo speaks five languages, including English and Swahili, enabling him to communicate with multiple tribes in Kenya, including those traveling from remote areas for medical care,” said Sgt. Aaron Butler, a medical logistics non-commissioned officer that served on the same Kenyan surgical team with Capt. Ottichilo.
“His innate understanding of regional cultures has been instrumental in ensuring our partners' medical personnel are informed and integrated into our combined health service support plan,” said, Sgt. Butler. “His unique perspective as a Kenyan-American, combined with his extensive education in microbial pathogens and endemic diseases, is an invaluable asset for multinational military health protection,” added Butler.
Because of provisions within the Immigration and Nationality Act, Capt. Ottichilo was able to utilize his military service to become a U.S. citizen in 2020.
