Pathology & Laboratory Medicine

Nicole Aqui

Nicole Aqui, MD

Vice Chair for Inclusion, Diversity & Equity

Nicole Aqui, MD, is an Associate Professor of Clinical Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and the inaugural Vice Chair for Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. She is responsible for leading the Department’s efforts in these areas across the core missions of excellence in clinical care, education, and research. Dr. Aqui serves as a member of the Departmental Committee on Appointments and Promotions (D-COAP), chairs the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Anti-Racism (IDEA) Committee, and also serves as the Program Director for the Pathology residency program, where she is committed to integrating IDE principles into the trainee curricula and continuing medical education, including concepts of race, racism, antiracism, and cultural competency. With the IDEA Committee, Dr. Aqui is developing a strategic plan that promotes diversity, inclusion, equity, and antiracist values across all departmental activities and programs, guided by the principles of respect and compassion. Dr. Aqui believes that the entire Penn community needs to be a safe and welcoming place for everyone, regardless of race, creed, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or other differentiators, and that it is incumbent on the entire institution to reaffirm its individual and collective commitments to justice, inclusion, and equity, both in health care and in society at large. Dr. Aqui is a member of the Penn Medicine Academy of Master Clinicians and was honored in 2016 as a "Philadelphia Living Legend" by the City Council of Philadelphia to recognize outstanding contributions to community and society by Philadelphia’s African American dentists or physicians.