I am pleased to announce the promotion of Kristen Nwanyanwu, MD, MBA, MHS to Associate Professor of Ophthalmology & Visual Science at the Yale School of Medicine. As you know, Dr. Nwanyanwu has established herself as a thought leader in ophthalmology due to her important work on social determinants of health, most notably for patients with diabetic retinopathy.
Dr. Nwanyanwu graduated with honors in African-American Studies and Biochemistry from the University of Michigan. She has an MD from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the Wharton School. When she arrived at Yale six years ago, she quickly demonstrated her passion for health equity research by pursuing additional research training. She was one of two surgeons selected for our Yale Center for Clinical Investigation (KL-2) Scholar’s program where she studied quantitative methods, qualitative methods, and participatory research. Her team developed a determinants framework for diabetic retinopathy screening that became the foundation for her Career Development Award, which received a perfect score from the National Institutes of Health.
Nationally, Dr. Nwanyanwu serves on the American Academy of Ophthalmology Taskforce on Disparities in Eyecare and the American Society of Retinal Specialists Diversity and Inclusion Taskforce, where she and colleagues have designed the first sub-specialty mentorship program for those underrepresented in retina. She is a past co-chair of the National Medical Association program within Retina Subspecialty Day at the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Most recently, she ushered the organization through its first virtual meeting that included a fireside chat celebrating the legacy of Black retinal specialists. Dr. Nwanyanwu has participated in three study sections for the National Eye Institute despite being early in her career, which speaks to her unique vantage point as a vitreoretinal surgeon and health disparities researcher. She co-authored the first chapter on social determinants of health in the Academy’s Basic and Clinical Science Course, the primary educational source for all ophthalmology trainees in the United States and Europe. She and her co-authors authored a commentary in JAMA Ophthalmology that was ranked within the top 5% in research outputs by Altmetric.
At Yale Dr. Nwanyanwu serves as faculty for the Equity Research and Innovation Center led by Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith and is our department’s representative to the Dean’s Faculty Advisory Council. She is also on multiple committees of the Minority Organization for Retention & Expansion that works to recruit and retain those underrepresented in medicine.
Dr. Nwanyanwu is a leader in health disparities in ophthalmology, multi-method research, and participatory science. Please join me in congratulating Dr. Nwanyanwu on her promotion!