PAGNY is pleased to announce that Dr. Chinyere Anyaogu and Dr. Michael DeVita have been appointed to the PAGNY Board of Directors:
Dr. Chinyere Anyaogu, Vice Chairperson, Department of OB/GYN NYC Health + Hospitals/North Central Bronx
Dr. Chinyere Anyaogu is a recognized expert in the medical care of pregnant women and new mothers. Since coming to North Central Bronx in 2015, the hospital’s Department of OB/GYN has received numerous awards, including New York State’s 2015 Improvement Award for its program to prevent hypertensive disorders in pregnant women and new mothers and international recognition as a “baby-friendly” birth facility by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF by encouraging breastfeeding by new mothers.
“My passion is for driving change and healthcare quality improvement,” Dr. Anyaogu says. “I believe you lead by doing. PAGNY has enormous potential to have a significant impact on the population we serve — it’s so diverse and in need of the services we render. Any way to participate on that level will be an honor.”
Born in the Bronx of Nigerian parents, Dr. Anyaogu received her medical degree from the College of Medical Sciences and Dentistry, University of Nigeria, and a Master in Public Health degree from Columbia University. She served residencies in Internal Medicine and OB/GYN at Albert Einstein/Montefiore Medical Center. Prior to joining North Central Bronx, Dr. Anyaogu served as an Attending Physician at several medical facilities in North Carolina and as Medical Director of the Women’s Care Center in Huntersville, North Carolina.
Dr. Anyaogu was named Physician of the Year in 2013 at Novant Presbyterian Hospital, Huntersville, N.C., received the Residents Teaching Award for Excellence in 2002 for mentoring medical students at Albert Einstein School of Medicine and received the Academic Excellence Award in 1999 during her residency at Albert Einstein.
She also serves as an Assistant Professor at Albert Einstein College, is Site Director of Women’s Health Services at NCB and in 2015 was named Vice Chairperson of The Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women’s Health at NCB. Dr. Anyaogu is also on the board of the Physician Association of Greater New York, where her interest is in improving outcomes in the county she serves. Dr. Anyaogu will also soon complete a Clinical Quality Fellowship program for patient safety.
Dr. Michael DeVita, Director of Critical Care Services NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem
Dr. Michael DeVita is an internationally recognized leader in Critical Care and was awarded the prestigious Asmund Laerdal Award for his contribution to resuscitation and the Christer Grenvik Award for his contribution to Critical Care Ethics. He also led the development, implementation and reporting of the world’s first policy for organ donation following circulatory determination of death.
“What I bring to the Board is good quality improvement skills and a sensibility of the physician’s role in teamwork to provide better patient outcomes,” he says. “What I hope to accomplish is better patient care.”
As Harlem’s Director of Critical Care Services, he has brought significant improvement to all quality metric outcomes. He is also an accomplished educator, teaching students and residents and leading simulation exercises for all of the clinical staff.
Dr. DeVita received his undergraduate and medical degrees from Georgetown University. He did his post-graduate training at Georgetown University Hospital in Internal Medicine and served a Critical Care fellowship at St. Vincent’s Medical Center in New York City. In 1988, he joined the faculty at the University of Pittsburgh where he served as Director of Surgical ICU, Associate Director of Critical Care Education, Medical Director of the in-house Skilled Nursing Facility, Medical Director of Respiratory Care and Associate Medical Director for Quality and Medical Management.
Dr. DeVita has also published more than 100 peer-reviewed articles, including dozens on Rapid Response Systems (RRS). He was Program Director for four international meetings on RRS, was the Founding President of the International Society of Rapid Response Systems and is the lead editor of two textbooks on RRS: “Textbook of Rapid Response Systems” and “Medical Emergency Teams: Implementation and Outcome Measurement.”