Amaka Eneanya, MD, MPH has dedicated her life’s work in medical practice, research, and education to providing not only exceptional healthcare, but ensuring that all have equal access to the treatment they need. Her research and clinical interests center on care delivery and health equity.
Dr. Eneanya currently serves as the Chief Transformation Officer at Emory Healthcare, based in Atlanta, optimizing patient experiences from end to end and improving patient access, customer service, health equity, and employee wellbeing. Across 11 hospitals and hundreds of clinics, she leads the development of systemwide strategies to bolster the patient experience while prioritizing health equity, diversity and inclusion in the delivery of patient care.
Dr. Eneanya is a 1998 graduate of North Penn High School and a proud member of the alumni community. During her time at NPHS, Eneanya ran track and field and participated in the high jump, triple jump, long jump, and discus. The team went to the Pennsylvania State Championships in 1997 and 1998, with Eneanya leading as team co-captain in 1998. The 1997 girls track team, who won the State Championships that same year, was inducted into the North Penn Athletic Alumni Association Sports Hall of Fame in 2011.
After graduating from North Penn High School, Eneanya attended Cornell University and received a Bachelor of Arts, cum laude in Sociology. Eneanya then attended Meharry Medical College where she received her Doctor of Medicine degree (MD), with honors, in 2008. She completed her training at Harvard Medical School’s main teaching hospitals, first with an internal medicine residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, followed by nephrology training at the combined program of Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. In 2012, Dr. Eneanya attended Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health where she received a Master of Public Health (MPH).
Her most notable piece of research resulted in a change in both national and international stands in lab reporting for individuals with and at risk for kidney disease. A commonly used blood test, eGFR, developed in 1999, determines kidney function through an equation that inaccurately placed Black individuals further down on the list for a kidney transplant, causing longer wait times for an organ transplant. Dr. Eneanya was at the forefront of this research, writing, speaking, and participating in task forces to both remove the outdated equation and create a new one. Her work has been heavily cited in leading academic journals and major news outlets, including The New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of the American Medical Medical Association, The New York Times, NPR, and Scientific American. Additionally, she served as a consultant for the TV show, Grey’s Anatomy (Season 18, Episode 2), where they prominently covered this medical controversy in the storyline. Dr. Eneanya has also worked with political leaders and on committees to create federal policies - ensuring changes to clinical standards are sustainable and centered in health equity.
Dr. Eneanya has previously served as the Head of Strategy and Operations for the Global Medical Office at Fresenius Medical Care, a global dialysis company. She has also worked for several universities, including Emory University School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and Harvard Medical School.
In 2020, Dr. Eneanya was recognized as a 40 under 40 Leader in Minority Health by the National Minority Quality Forum. In 2021, she received the Radhika Srinivasan Award for Humanism & Professionalism from the Department of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Eneanya’s life and career have been and continue to be dedicated to improving the health of all, ensuring equity in both care and access. She enjoys mentoring and inspiring others to follow their passions and treat others with kindness. Amaka Eneanya, MD, MPH, joins the North Penn School District Knights of Honor Class of 2024 as an alumni and an individual who has made a significant impact on her community, ensuring excellent patient care and health equity for generations to come.