About Professor Chukuka S. Enwemeka

Dr. Chukuka S. Enwemeka is Professor and Director of Photomedicine Research Laboratory, College of Health and Human Services, San Diego State University, San Diego, California. He served as Provost and Senior Vice President of the university from July 2014 to May 2018. Before joining San Diego State, he was Distinguished Professor and Dean of the College of Health Sciences, University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee for five years and  served more than six years as Professor and Dean, School of Health Professions at the New York Institute of Technology. Moreover, he held professorial positions at the University of Kansas, the University of Miami, and the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio before his deanships.

He earned his Ph.D. from New York University, and is a Fellow of both the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery. Professor Enwemeka served as the President of the World Association for Laser Therapy (WALT) from 1998 to 2000, and as founder and pioneer chairman of the North American Association for Laser Therapy from 2000 to 2006.

World-wide, Professor Enwemeka is one of the foremost authorities in photobiomodulation. He is the author of more than 100 research and professional publications and holds a US and international patent on photo-eradication of microorganism with blue light. As an international figure, Professor Enwemeka’s academic engagements, including visiting professorships, invited lectures, conference presentations and leadership of funded research projects, has taken him to 41 countries on five continents. Moreover, he has developed and implemented academic and research programs in nine countries worldwide.

Selected media coverage of Professor Enwemeka’s academic works includes reports by Reuters, CBS News, United Press International (UPI), Entrepreneur, Photonics, Forbes, Fox Business News, Science Daily News, WebMD, The Nigerian Guardian, Gulf News, Daily India, and interviews by CNBC ( https://www.cnbc.com/video/2020/08/25/how-covid-19-brought-a-boom-to-the-infrared-camera-market.html?fbclid=IwAR20e8viBDVf0CF-CuSXNRK47boWMtICbzqniZPPwGtlfBIaUpIPQDC4s_k), PBS (https://www.pbs.org/video/university-place-full-spectrum-promise-light-medicine/ ), NABNTV ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bPQCINJdr4), and Peer Interviews, Nice France ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zggt_mE2uVU).

Title: PHOTO-ERADICATION OF MICROORGANISMS WITH PULSED BLUE LIGHT

~ Treatment of Resistant Bacteria and Viruses.

 Emerging research data continue to strengthen the view that blue light in the range of 405 nm to 470 nm wavelength is antimicrobial against several bacteria. In recent studies, we showed that pulsed blue light (PBL) is not just a more potent antimicrobial than conventional blue light, but also a non-chemical and non-pharmaceutical antiviral against coronaviruses. This presentation reviews our recent studies and those of others, and summarizes our findings which show that PBL, when incorporated into dental practice, could ameliorate oral bacterial and viral infections. The paper highlights the antimicrobial value of certain light-based dental technologies and precents recent data from our ongoing studies which show that PBL-based LED light fixtures, designed for environmental sanitation, are antiviral and antibacterial against some of the deadliest bacteria and viruses. These recent findings indicate that it is possible to develop and deploy commercial cost-effective light fixtures as environmental decontaminants that can inactivate viruses and other microorganisms safely, not just in hospitals and clinics, but in homes, offices, ambulances, and other modes of transportation. The implications of these findings for disease epidemics and pandemics will be discussed.