
Ijeoma Akunyili is the first daughter of the late Dora Akunyili, the former director-general of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control and also ex minister of information.
Ijeoma was recently appointed as the Chief Medical Officer of the US hospital, making her the first black Chief Medical Officer.
The appointment was announced on Wednesday, the 11th of January, 2023 in a statement by the medical center. In the statement, they mentioned that Dr. Ijeoma led an unprecedented fourfold expansion of service lines with a specific focus on medical services and access to care for underserved populations.
They continued by saying “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 increased 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. 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 Yale University”.
Dr. Akunyili expressed gratitude to the hospital and added that she looked forward to serving the residents and providing safe, innovative, efficient and equitable care.