Ije Akunyili, MD, has been appointed chief medical officer of Jersey City Medical Center in New Jersey.
Dr. Akunyili stepped into the role Jan. 2 and is the medical center's first Black CMO, according to a Jan. 11 news release from West Orange, N.J.-based RWJBarnabas Health. She also currently serves as president of the Connecticut College of Emergency Physicians.
Before joining Jersey City Medical Center, Dr. Akunyili was the regional director for TeamHealth in the Northeast and oversaw almost 20 emergency hospitals across Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania.
Dr. Akunyili was awarded the 2019 Medical Director of the Year award by TeamHealth for her work at Waterbury Hospital, a level II trauma teaching hospital in Waterbury, Conn. While there, she served as the chair of emergency medicine.