Meet the Founder and CEO

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Dr. Alphonsus Obayuwana accepts speaking engagements before large and small audiences, conducts hope seminars, and happiness workshops. He also accepts clients for one-on-one hope and happiness coaching.

Author - The Happiness Formula: A Scientific, Groundbreaking Approach to Happiness and Personal Fulfillment.
Course Director - The Mathematics of Happiness

Contributor - Psychology Today

Alphonsus Obayuwana M.D., Ph.D., CPC. Founder and CEO of Triple-H Project

Alphonsus has spent the past thirty-five years studying human hope and happiness. In 1979, he was awarded a national research grant and Smith-Kline Medical Perspective Fellowship to develop an instrument for measuring human hope, with the purpose of detecting hopelessness early enough in troubled human individuals so assistance could be offered in time to prevent suicide. The Hope Index Scale (HIS) Alphonsus created has been used by companies including the Coca-Cola company, General Motors, the Veterans Administration, and many academic institutions inside and outside the United States.

A man in a suit and tie.
A man in suit and tie posing for the camera.

Alphonsus has served on the teaching faculty at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Maryland University College of Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine, and University of Toledo—teaching and mentoring thousands of medical students, resident physicians, nurses, and fellows, in the art of caring and promoting happiness for themselves and their patients. Even today, as a retired professor of medicine, he continues to teach, train, and certify happiness coaches—in his current capacity as the CEO of the Triple-H Project, LLC.

Alphonsus was born in the historic City of Benin which was once the seat of government in the old Benin Kingdom (now part of modern-day Nigeria) where long ago, his father’s father served as the personal doctor of the King (Oba Ovonramwen). His own father was a teacher to the crown prince and later king (Oba Erediawa) of Benin. It is therefore perhaps more than mere coincidence that Alphonsus became a doctor, teacher, and a coach.

A man wearing a white top

Upon arriving in the United States in 1971, as a transferred student, Alphonsus majored in Biology and Chemistry at High Point University in North Carolina— where he graduated summa cum laude. He then studied Biochemistry at the Medical college of Georgia and later transferred to Howard University for a combined MD-Ph.D degree (in Medicine and Biochemistry). It was during this time that he got interested in the study of human hope, after encountering some psychiatric patients with unbelievably high degree of pessimism about life. After graduation from medical school, he specialized in obstetrics and gynecology. Even as he took care of pregnant women and delivered babies, his research interest in the study of human hope continued—resulting in several publications and numerous awards over the years.

For example, in 2012 he wrote the book—The Five Sources of Human Hope: Mirror of our humanity—where author Alphonsus Obayuwana thoroughly explained where, how, why, when, and from what five sources humans routinely find Hope in life. In 2013, he was honored with Alumnus of the Year Award by High Point University—his alma mater. In 2021, he wrote another book entitled—How to Live a Life of Hope: A Roadmap for Achieving Personal Fulfillment—which has received multiple awards including the Literary Titan Gold Award for original content, innovative ideas, and elegant prose. His third book, The Happiness Formula is being distributed by Simon Schuster, and it is available on:

Awards

Four men in suits and ties holding trophies.
Alumnus of the Year Award
A certificate of appreciation for the library that is dedicated to dr. Alphinus obatunana
A gold and black seal with the words literary titan book award
A blue circle with the words royal dragonfly book award sm winner

Contributions & Accomplishments

35 year history of research on Human Hope & Happiness

25 year history of teaching and faculty appointments in institutions such as—

  • Johns Hopkins school of Medicine
  • Maryland University College of Medicine
  • Eastern Virginia Medical School
  • Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine

Retired Major, USAF (Reserve)  

Past President, the Association of Nigerian Physicians in Americas

Associate Chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, St. Vincent Medical Center, Toledo, Ohio.

Well-travelled and multi-culturally attuned 

Several medical missions to developing countries in order to deliver free health care

Alumnus of the year award from High Point University

Delivered nearly 4,000 babies to date without a single malpractice judgement or finding.

Founder and CEO, Triple-H Project, LLC

Major Books & Articles Written

  • The Five Sources of Human Hope: Mirror of our humanity
  • How to live a life of Hope: A roadmap for achieving personal fulfillment
  • The Mathematics of Happiness
  • What exactly is a happy life?
  • Extra-Uterine Adaptation Theory
  • The 15 Tenets of Human Hope
  • Five most important “things” in your life
A baby is sitting in front of an apple.
A life of hope : a roadmap for achieving personal fulfillment

His Passion & Philosophy

”When I was a third year medical student, I became interested in the study of Human Hope—a passion that continued for 35 years in addition to my obstetrics and gynecology practice. During these decades of research, I discovered a mathematical equation that precisely explains the recipe for a happy life. Today, sharing this finding with others is my greatest passion.”

“The realization that our hopes, our hungers and our happiness are tightly linked together is what led me to conceive of the Triple-H Project LLC—an entity wholly dedicated to help create hopeful and happier communities—one encounter at time—regardless whether the setting or venue is at the workplace, civic gathering, or university campus”.

Not too long ago, a little boy in Lafayette, Indiana, who “had a bad day at school” and was also overwhelmed by “tons of homework”, called 911 to ask for help.  The dispatcher on duty, at the Lafayette Police Department, Ms. Antonia Bundy, without any hesitation, helped him over the telephone with his math homework. Luckily, it was not a busy day.  At the end, he expressed gratitude for the assistance and also apologized for the call—but added, “I really needed help”.

Public reactions and comments about this incidence were profuse. Many empathized with the boy; some blamed his parents, while others expressed anger over the little boy’s misuse of the public emergency line for a non-emergent triviality. 

His Passion & Philosophy Continue...

The point that must not be missed is that the boy was simply overwhelmed and he needed help. As founder and CEO of the Triple-H Project, I was very impressed and glad that he sought help where he could rather than resorting to an option that was either harmful to himself or to others.

The plight of this little boy goes a long way to argue for the need of Triple-H Project in every city and town— where people can call to request the assistance of a happiness coach.    

“The workplace, civic gatherings, college and university campuses are the three very practical settings or venues where the mission of the Triple-H Project (THP) can be best implemented. College and university campuses being the place where young men and women gather to receive formal preparation for life also provides the most appropriate setting to learn the mathematics of happiness; and become adequately equipped to live a happy life in a very challenging world that awaits them after graduation. Additionally, the college years are also the time of major psychological turbulence and emotional fragility with high suicide rate. For these reasons, it is my personal desire and mission to give priority to college and universities students in sharing my recipe for happiness”.

Testimonials

"I want to really thank you, Dr. Obayuwana, for helping me find my true calling... You have literally forever changed my life..."

"Dr. Obayuwana, we hereby recognize you for your promotion of wellness in the Okpella Development Association and other Ethnic Organizations"