Ugo Ezenkwele, MD

Dr. Ezenkwele is Chief of Emergency Medicine at Mount Sinai Queens and Professor of Emergency Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He is the Emergency Medicine System Vice-Chair for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. He received both his degree in medicine and in public health from John Hopkins University School of Medicine. Subsequently, he was granted a William J. Fulbright award which ultimately led to the development of trauma and injury surveillance systems in the Caribbean. He then went on to complete a residency program in emergency medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

In addition to direct patient care, his clinical interests include emergency medicine management systems, diversity, equity in medicine and health care information technology. He is passionate about optimizing the delivery of care to acutely ill patients and improving the experience of patients in the emergency room. Prior to joining Mount Sinai, he oversaw emergency room clinical operations which led to improvements in patient satisfaction, a decrease in the time to be seen by a provider, and a decrease in the percent of patients leaving the emergency room before being seen by a provider. He has found that improved patient care can be achieved through technology, including electronic health records, as well as through educating patients, hospital staff, and community physicians. Dr. Ezenkwele is committed to the goal of helping to create a system of seamless coordinated and integrated care for patients.

Dr. Ezenkwele is engaging with members of the Queens community and educating them in regards to various topics such as injury prevention. He is also interested in issues surrounding sensitivity in health care delivery to the culturally diverse population in Queens. He hopes that patient and community physician engagement will optimize the integration of patient care on both campuses of the hospital.

In 2021, Dr. Ezenkwele was recognized by Crains New York as a Notable Black Leader and Executive (https://www.crainsnewyork.com/awards/notable-black-leaders-and-executives-2021). He also received the Vituity Award in Executive Leadership.

Additionally, Dr. Ezenkwele has been the recipient of a number of other awards and recognition including the National Medical Association Excellence in Service Award, (2012 – 2014) and the Society of Academic Emergency Medicine Visionary Educator Award. He has authored several publications and has lectured on topics including injury prevention, health disparities and diversity in medical education. He is the past president of the Emergency Medicine section of the National Medical Association. He was also president of the Diversity Interest Group (DIG) and ultimately, the vice chairman of the Academy of Diversity and Inclusion in Emergency Medicine (ADIEM) of the Society of Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM). In both these roles, he was dedicated to making policy and educational changes that have a lasting effect on the next generation of physician leaders and the communities they serve.

Dr. Ezenkwele is a councilor of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) and an oral board examiner for the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM). He is currently the chair of the ACEP Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee. As councilor and committee chair, he has authored several resolutions advancing health equity and increasing anti-racism sentiments including the creation of awareness around the detrimental effects of race-based science, education of vaccine efficacy in communities of color and the hazards of chokeholds by law enforcement. Dr. Ezenkwele is passionate about equity in emergency medicine and is now working to make our professional organizations more inclusive.