JERSEY CITY, N.J. – May 1, 2026 – Saint Peter’s University has announced that Ije Akunyili, M.D., M.B.A., M.P.A., a physician leader, public servant and advocate for health equity, will serve as the University’s 2026 undergraduate commencement speaker. Dr. Akunyili will also receive the Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, in recognition of her leadership and contributions to healthcare.
Dr. Akunyili is the chief medical officer of Jersey City Medical Center, a hospital of RWJBarnabas Health. In January 2023, she became the first Black chief medical officer in the hospital’s 141-year history, a milestone reflecting both her personal journey and a broader commitment to expanding opportunity and representation in healthcare leadership.
Her connection to Jesuit values is longstanding. Growing up in Eastern Nigeria, Dr. Akunyili observed her father, a physician, caring for Catholic and Jesuit priests and seminarians—an experience that shaped her view of medicine as a form of service to others, a principle that continues to guide her leadership and family life.
Under her leadership, Jersey City Medical Center has advanced quality and patient safety initiatives, earning national recognition as a Best Hospital for Maternity Care by U.S. News & World Report and Newsweek for 2026 The medical center has also expanded its residency and fellowship programs in rheumatology and gastrointestinal medicine and hospitalist medicine administration, strengthening the pipeline for future physicians.
Dr. Akunyili’s work is grounded in a belief that high-quality care should be accessible to all communities. She is a strong advocate for community health, working to build trust between healthcare institutions and the populations they serve.
Appointed by the governor to the New Jersey State Board of Medical Examiners, Dr. Akunyili also serves as an elected member of the Harvard Kennedy School Alumni Association Board of Directors. Her leadership has been recognized nationally, including being named one of the country’s “Black Healthcare Leaders to Know” by Becker’s Healthcare, as well as receiving the Dr. Gar LaSalle Medical Director of the Year Award and the American College of Emergency Physicians Rising Star Award.
Dr. Akunyili graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania and earned an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of Business. She received her medical degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, completed her emergency medicine residency at McGovern Medical School at UT Health Houston, and earned a graduate degree in public administration from the Harvard Kennedy School,and now joins those distinctions with the Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, from Saint Peter’s University.
Her career reflects the very ideals celebrated at commencement service, purpose and a commitment to using one’s talents to serve others.