Dr.Ije Akunyili, MD, MBA, MPA, is the Chief Medical Officer,Jersey City Medical Centre,USA. She is the Medical Center’s first Black Chief Medical Officer.
In her most recent role, Dr. Akunyili served as the Regional Medical Director for TeamHealth, Northeast Group, where she had strategic, operational, and clinical oversight of nearly twenty emergency departments, critical care, and hospitalist service lines in Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania. She led an unprecedented fourfold expansion of service lines with a specific focus on medical services and access to care for underserved populations.
Previously, Dr. Akunyili served as the chair of emergency medicine at Waterbury Hospital, a Level II trauma teaching hospital. There she was the change agent who led a dynamic team in dramatically reducing the lengths of stay, improving overall performance across multiple patient-centered metrics, and increasing physician staffing. She was awarded the 2019 Medical Director of the Year Award for the impressive turnaround of the Waterbury Hospital Emergency Department.
In addition to her executive experience, Dr. Akunyili has vast leadership and advocacy experience, and is currently serving as the President of the Connecticut College of Emergency Physicians (CCEP). Prior, she served for several years on the board of directors of Texas and Connecticut Colleges of Emergency Physicians.
She was an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine Houston, TX, and she is currently a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at Yale University.
Dr. Akunyili graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Pennsylvania and attended the University of Maryland School of Medicine. She completed her emergency medicine residency at the McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston.
In addition, Dr. Akunyili earned an MPA in international development from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and an MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Akunyili and her husband are the parents of two teenage children.
Congratulations!!
Please note:
- To nominate other high achievers of African Descent Worldwide, visit http://www.mipad.org/nominate
- To become a MIPADian, enroll for Connectology: A Practical Guide to Connect for Success www.mipad.org/connectology
- To begin to think and operate like a true MIPADian, enroll for our Online Course (On-Demand 24/7 starting $99), Sign Up – bit.ly/BBVofYOU
