DORA AKUNYILI, THE DAUGHTER OF FORMER NAFDAC DIRECTOR GENERAL DORA AKUNYILI, HAS BEEN NAMED THE FIRST BLACK CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER OF A U.S. HOSPITAL.

Jersey City Medical Center, a RWJBarnabas health facility in the United States, has named Ijeoma Akunyili as the hospital’s new chief medical officer.

According to a statement posted on the Medical Center’s official website on Wednesday, January 11, Dr. Ijeoma Akunyili is the first African American medical professional to hold that position due to her expertise.

Ijeoma is the first daughter of the late Dora Akunyili, ex-minister of information and former director-general of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

“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.