Presidential Assistant Professor in Health Equity

Supported in part by The Pew Charitable Trusts, Presidential Professorships are awarded to exceptional scholars of any rank who will contribute to the diverse experiences, perspectives, and eminence of Penn faculty. They were established in 2011 to strengthen the University’s ability to recruit, retain and mentor distinguished scholars who are preeminent in their fields and have demonstrated a commitment to sustaining an inclusive and vibrant academic community.

Current Chairholder 

Jamaji C. Nwanaji-Enwerem, MD, PhD, MPP

Jamaji C. Nwanaji-Enwerem, MD, PhD, MPP, is the Presidential Assistant Professor in Health Equity at the University of Pennsylvania. He also serves as the Executive Director of Elnd, a community-based environmental education and improvement organization. Dr. Nwanaji-Enwerem graduated from Morehouse College as the Phi Beta Kappa Valedictorian. He earned his PhD from Harvard University's Biological Sciences in Public Health program, his Master in Public Policy (MPP) from Harvard Kennedy School, and his MD from Harvard Medical School. He completed a postdoctoral research fellowship in Environmental Health Sciences at the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health. He completed his emergency medicine residency at Emory University School of Medicine, where he served as chief resident. He has served on the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council, the White House Office of Public Engagement Roundtables on Clinical Innovation and Health Equity, the World Health Organization's technical advisory group for estimating the occupational burden of disease, and the International Society of Exposure Science Board of Directors.

Dr. Nwanaji-Enwerem has received numerous awards, including the National Minority Quality Forum's 2021 40 Under 40 Leader in Health, a Schmidt Futures International Strategy Forum Fellow, a Paul and Daisy Soros New American Fellow, and an Agents of Change in Environmental Justice Fellowship. He has authored several peer-reviewed publications and delivered multiple domestic and international lectures on his research, which leverages molecular biomarkers to better understand how environmental exposures impact human aging and health, particularly among the underserved. His work emphasizes the need for public policy solutions that promote greater health equity and environmental justice.