Jersey City: First African American woman set to become chief medical officer

Source: Hudson Reporter

Ije Akunyili will make history as the first African American woman to become a Chief Medical Officer at the Jersey City Medical Center.

Prior to being elected as a newly Chief Medical Officer, she took a position as the chair of the emergency medicine at Waterbury Hospital in Connecticut, a Level II trauma teaching hospital, according to a press release.

Ije Akunyili is the daughter of Dora Akunyili, who served as the former Director-General of the Nigerian National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

“Dr. Akunyili 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,” said Michael Prilutsky, president and Chief Executive Officer of the 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.”

Akunyili graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania and attended the University of Maryland School of Medicine. She then completed her emergency medicine residency at the McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston.

In addition, she earned a master’s degree in Public Affairs 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.

“I 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,” said Akunyili. “It is a true privilege to lead the clinical effort at Jersey City Medical Center and to create sustainable health outcomes for our community.”

She was also awarded the 2019 Medical Director of the Year Award for the impressive turnaround of the Waterbury Hospital Emergency Department.

Akunyili and her husband are the parents of two teenage children.

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