The daughter of late Professor Dora Akunyili, Ijeoma, has been named the Chief Medical Officer of the Jersey City Medical Center, an RWJ Barnabas Health facility, in the United States of America.
On its official website, the medical centre made the announcement in a statement on Wednesday, adding that Dr. Akunyili is its first Black Chief Medical Officer.
Ijeoma is the first daughter of the late Dora Akunyili, former director-general of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control and ex-minister of information.
The MD, Executive Vice President/Chief Medical and Quality Officer at WJBarnabas, Dr. Andy Anderson, commending Dr. Ijeoma for the giant strides, said that
her “experience managing multi-speciality physician groups in integrated health care systems will help support Jersey City Medical Center in providing comprehensive health care throughout the community.”
The President and Chief Executive Officer of the Medical Center, Michael Prilutsky, said, “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.”
Receiving the appointment, Akunyili expressed gratitude to the management of the hospital and reinforced her commitment to ensuring quality service delivery.
She said, “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. It is a true privilege to lead the clinical effort at Jersey City Medical Center and to create sustainable health outcomes for our community.”
Dr. Ijeoma 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, she 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 is married with two teenage children.
