Ijeoma Akunyili, the daughter of late Prof. Dora Akunyili, has been appointed as the next Chief Medical Officer, CMO, of the RWJ Barnabas Health facility Jersey City Medical Centre.
Dr. Ijeoma Akunyili is the first African American medical professional to hold that position, according to a statement posted on the Medical Centre’s official website on Wednesday. This is due to her experience and expertise.
The MD, Executive Vice President/Chief Medical and Quality Officer at WJBarnabas, Dr. Andy Anderson said that her experience managing multi-specialty physician groups in integrated health care systems will help support Jersey City Medical Center in providing comprehensive health care throughout the community,”
“She has a wealth of experience and knowledge, and as our Chief Medical Officer, we look forward to creating a world-class experience for every patient at Jersey City Medical Center. I am confident that Hudson County will benefit in a great way from her leadership, and that her presence will have tremendous impact,” added, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Medical Center, Michael Prilutsky.
In her most recent position, Akunyili worked for TeamHealth, Northeast Group as the regional medical director. In this capacity, she was responsible for nearly 20 emergency rooms, critical care units, and hospitalist service lines across Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania.
She oversaw an extraordinary four-fold expansion of service lines with an emphasis on healthcare for underprivileged groups and medical services in particular.
Previously, Akunyili held the position of emergency medicine chair at the Level II trauma teaching hospital Waterbury Hospital.
She received the 2019 Medical Director of the Year Award in recognition of the Emergency Department at Waterbury Hospital’s remarkable turnaround.
Akunyili has extensive leadership and advocacy experience in addition to her executive expertise. She is now the president of the Connecticut College of Emergency Physicians.
In her remarks: “am grateful for this opportunity, and I look forward to serving the residents of Hudson County and continuing to provide safe, innovative, efficient, and equitable care”.
“It is a true privilege to lead the clinical effort at Jersey City Medical Center and to create sustainable health outcomes for our community,” Akunyili said.
Dr. Akunyili entered the University of Maryland School of Medicine after receiving a Summa Cum Laude from the University of Pennsylvania. She also finished her emergency medicine residency at UTHealth Houston’s McGovern Medical School.
She received an MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and an MPA in International Development from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.