Gbaranen Gbaanador, has a Nigerian-American background and has been known for his life of service to many in the United States and Africa. He is driven by a passion to deliver medical aid to the undeserved and marginalized people of developing countries and has led numerous medical missions to several countries in Africa and the Caribbean.

He served as Assistant Professor of Surgery at the University of Texas, Health Science Center-Houston Medical School until leaving to commit fully to medical missions. As a Board member of PROFOH, Prof. Gbaanador has provided unprecedented leadership for the growth of the organization and also led the PROFOH delegation to Athens, Greece for the 2013 Humanitarian Organization of the Year award given by Global Thinkers Forum.

He graduated with Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree from Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, completed his general surgery residency at the Department of Surgery, Creighton University School of Medicine in Omaha, Nebraska.

He then obtained a fellowship in Trauma and Critical Care at Maryland Institute of Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS) of the University Of Maryland School Of Medicine, in Baltimore, Maryland before joining the faculty of the Department of Surgery of the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston, Texas. Prof. Gbaanador has been certified by the American Board of Surgery in general surgery and surgical critical care since 1991 and is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the International College of Surgeon. He is married and blessed with five children.