Utibe R. Essien, MD, MPH is a national award-winning, board-certified, internal medicine physician, and an Assistant Professor of Medicine and health disparities researcher at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Essien received his MD degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and trained in internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Harvard Medical School. After residency he remained at MGH to complete a research fellowship and receive a Master of Public Health degree from the Harvard School of Public Health.
Dr. Essien’s research focuses on racial and ethnic disparities in the use of novel medications and technologies in the management of cardiovascular diseases. He has applied his health equity framework to the COVID-19 pandemic, rapidly becoming an expert in examining the disparities that disproportionately affect minority communities with COVID-19. His work has been featured in leading medical journals including JAMA and the NEJM and he has been interviewed by several national news outlets including the New York Times, Washington Post, and NPR. Dr. Essien has also received nearly $2 million in research funding from the National Institutes of Health, Department of Veterans Affairs, American Heart Association, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Dr. Essien is a fierce advocate for diversity and equity in medicine, and is a highly sought after speaker on racism and health, leading invited seminars and keynote speeches nationally while co-directing an “Antiracism in Medicine” podcast. Dr. Essien’s leadership in advancing health equity led him receive several national awards including the 2019 National Minority Quality Forum 40 under 40 Leaders in Minority Health Award, one of “30 Leaders under 40 Transforming Healthcare” by Business Insider and one of 20 Top Black Physician Social Media Influencers in 2020, and Association of American Medical Colleges Herbert W. Nickens Faculty Fellowship Award in 2021.
