Dr. Anekwe E. Onwuanyi Installed as President of the Association of Black Cardiologists

 Anekwe E. Onwuanyi, MD, FACC, was installed as the 19^th President of the Association of Black Cardiologists (ABC) during the Spring 2022 Membership Meeting. He is the first board-certified, advanced heart failure specialist to hold the position in ABC’s nearly 50-year history.

Dr. Onwuanyi is Professor of Medicine and Chief of Cardiology at Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM), Medical Director of the Heart Failure Program at Grady Memorial Hospital and Co-Chair of Grady Heart and Vascular Center, Atlanta, GA. The Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship Program at Morehouse School of Medicine was established in 2017 under his leadership with a key goal of diversifying the cardiovascular physician workforce. Prior to joining MSM, Dr. Onwuanyi held faculty appointments as Assistant Professor of Medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York.

A dedicated life member of the ABC, Dr. Onwuanyi has been active with the organization for more than 30 years. He has served in various capacities including President-Elect and Board Member, assistant editor of the ABC Digest of Urban Cardiology, chairperson of scientific symposia, and most recently as a member of ABC’s Preventive Cardiology Committee.

During his presidency, Dr. Onwuanyi will continue to prioritize diversity, inclusivity and belonging in ABC’s efforts to expand the cardiovascular workforce through solution-focused partnerships and collaborations. The commitment to innovation in education, research, advocacy and community engagement among scholars, policymakers, community leaders and advocates remains a core focus and serves to also drive real progress in addressing pervasive health disparities.

“It is the honor of a lifetime to have been entrusted by the membership to take the reins of the association we love,” says Dr. Onwuanyi.  “I look forward to continuing the ABC work that has had such a strong impact and building on the accomplishments of my predecessors whose outstanding leadership and vision have shaped the organization ABC is today.  We must now double our efforts due to the increasing burden of the healthcare needs and mortality in communities of color as has been laid bare by the COVID-19 pandemic. ABC’s strident leadership, capabilities and strengths spanning nearly half a century remain our North Star in facing the challenges and opportunities ahead.”

In tandem with Dr. Onwuanyi’s presidency, ABC announced its new Board Chair, Barbara Hutchinson, MD, PhD, FACC. Dr. Hutchinson, currently serves as President of Chesapeake Cardiac Care, in Annapolis, Maryland. She is one of a few doctors in the United States board certified in cardiovascular disease and sleep medicine. Dr. Hutchinson is a life member and past president of ABC. Prior to her election as Board Chair, she served as Co-Chair of ABC’s signature Spirit of the Heart Annual Awards Committee.

Other newly elected board members installed during the membership meeting on April 2, 2022 included Rachel M Bond, MD, FACC; Kevin F. Kwaku, MD, PhD, FACC; Eldrin F. Lewis, MD, MPH, FACC; and Joyce Gwendolyn Bartley Taylor, MS. The ABC Board of Directors comprises a wide range of experience in various fields, including healthcare, organizational management and capacity building. To learn more, visit http://abcardio.org/board-of- directors.