The Association for Academic Minority Physicians, Inc. (AAMP)

Meredith Bond, Ph.D. 
AAMP Secretary/Treasurer
Dean
College of Sciences and Health Professions
Cleveland State University

 

Since 2011, Dr. Bond has served as Dean and Professor of Cleveland State University’s largest college – the College of Sciences and Health Professions (COSHP) - where she oversees all science and mathematics departments, as well as Psychology and the School of Health Sciences. In this role, she is responsible for 30% of all CSU student instruction and over 90% of all CSU research funded by the National Institutes of Health.

 

Dr. Bond is passionate about growing student success and understands the importance of a cradle to career educational focus. Under her leadership, she has led efforts to significantly increase pre-calculus and calculus pass rates, eliminating the achievement gap between minority and non-minority students. She has championed middle and high school student programs, increasing student retention rates for students majoring in her College by almost 10% and the 6-year graduation rate by 31%. At CSU, the acceptance rate for medical school is almost double the national average. (Most CSU students who apply to medical school graduate from COSHP.) She has significantly grown research in her College, attracting $45 million in research funding, and increasing philanthropic support from $265,000 to more than $4 million.

 

Prior to her current role at CSU, Dr. Bond was professor, and chair of the Department of Physiology, in the School of Medicine at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, for 8 years, serving under Dean Donald Wilson. During this period, the Department of Physiology’s national ranking (NIH funded research) increased from #32 to #7 among medical schools nationwide. Dr. Bond also has held a faculty appointment at Case Western Reserve University, and was on staff at the Lerner Research Institute of the Cleveland Clinic, performing NIH-funded research on molecular mechanisms of heart failure, for 17 years.

 

Dr. Bond holds a B.A. in Biological Sciences from Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, and received her Ph.D. and post-doctoral fellowship from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

 

Dr. Bond was identified as one of 2008’s “Top 100 Women in Maryland”; she received the “Excellence in Mentoring Award” from the Association for Academic Minority Physicians for innovative initiatives to increase diversity in science and health; in 2015, Dr. Bond was appointed by AAMP to AAMP’s Academic Leadership Forum; and in 2019 was named one of Crain’s Cleveland Business “Notable women in STEM.” She has held leadership positions in numerous national scientific societies, including the Biophysical Society, the American Heart Association, and the Association of Chairs of Departments of Physiology. She is currently on the Executive Committee of the Ohio Advisory Group of the National Museum of Women in the Arts, and is a member of the Board of Ohio Guidestone, one of the largest behavioral health agencies in the state of Ohio.

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Luther T. Clark, M.D., F.A.C.C., F.A.C.P.
Deputy Chief Patient Officer
Global Director, Scientific, Medical and Patient Perspective
Office of the Chief Patient Officer
Merck & Co., Inc.

  

Dr. Luther T. Clark is Deputy Chief Patient Officer and Global Director, Scientific Medical and Patient Perspective (SMPP) in the Office of the Chief Patient Officer (OCPO) at Merck.  In this role, he is responsible for (1) gathering internal and external scientific and medical information to assist with decision-making at the highest levels; (2) collaborating across Merck to increase the voice of patients, directly and indirectly in decision-making; (3) collaborating with key internal and external stakeholders in development of a systematized approach for collecting and incorporating patient insights across the patient journey and product lifecycle; and (4) representing Merck externally, expanding bi-directional exchange with key patient and professional leaders and organizations.   
 

Dr. Clark leads Merck’s Patient Insights Team, is co-leader of the team that champions Health Care Equities (including promotion of health literacy and research diversity) and chairs the Patient Engagement, Health Literacy & Clinical Trials Diversity Investigator Initiated Studies Research Committee. 
 

Prior to joining Merck, Dr. Clark was Chief of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center (SUNY Downstate) and founding Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded Brooklyn Health Disparities Research Center.
 

 Dr. Clark earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard College and his Medical degree from Harvard Medical School.  He is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology (FACC) and the American College of Physicians (FACP), and a past member of the Board of Directors of the Founders Affiliate of the American Heart Association.  He is a nationally and internationally recognized leader in cardiovascular education, clinical investigation, cardiovascular disease prevention, and health equity.  He has authored more than 100 publications and edited and was principal contributor to the textbook Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes (McGraw-Hill).
 

 Dr. Clark has received numerous awards and honors, including the Harvard University Alumni Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Medicine.  He is the current President of the Health Science Center at Brooklyn Foundation (HSCB Foundation), SUNY Downstate Medical Center.  

 

 

Esam Z. Dajani, Ph.D., FACG ​

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Dr Dajani is a biomedical research scientist in the fields of pharmacology, physiology, toxicology, regulatory affairs and drug development. Since 1980, he held concurrent academic appointments in pharmacology and in medicine.
 

He is currently the Adjunct Professor of Medicine (gastroenterology) at Loyola University-Chicago. He is also the founder and president of International Drug Development Consultants, Inc., a Contract Research Organization. He previously served as the Director of Clinical Research at Searle Pharmaceuticals and led the research teams that discovered and developed misoprostol (Cytotec), an anti-ulcer drug, for human therapeutics.
 

His current research interests include clinical pharmacology, gastrointestinal mucosal injury, intestinal secretion, prostaglandins and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

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Elizabeth O. Ofili, MD, MPH, FACC
Professor of Medicine/Cardiology
Chief Medical Officer/Morehouse Choice Accountable Care Organization
Morehouse School of Medicine

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Dr. Ofili is a Professor of Medicine (Cardiology), at Morehouse School of Medicine, and Chief Medical Officer for the Morehouse Choice Accountable Care Organization.
 

Dr. Ofili serves as principal investigator of the National Research Mentoring Network (U01 award from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences). She also serves as principal investigator of the RCMI Translational Research Network, which supports Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other minority serving institutions. Dr. Ofili is multi principal investigator of the Georgia Clinical and Translational Science Alliance (GaCTSA). In these roles, Dr. Ofili fosters research collaboration and mentoring in order to support the research development of investigators who are under represented in biomedical research.

Dr. Ofili has received over 50 national awards for leadership, scientific research excellence, mentoring and public health policy, including “Changing the Face of Medicine: The Rise of America’s Women Physicians” Exhibit at the National Library of Medicine. She is an elected member of the Association of University Cardiologists, and was inducted into the National Academy of Medicine on October 15, 2016. Election to the National Academy is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service. She is Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of AccuHealth Technologies, “Empowering Person-Centered Health and Wellness”.

Dr. Ofili is the Inaugural Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) to the NASA Translational Research Institute (TRI) at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, charged with researching and developing innovative approaches to reduce risks to humans on long-duration exploration missions, including NASA’s Journey to Mars.

Dr. Ofili serves/has served on the boards of: the National Space Biomedical Research Institute; Georgia BIO, Georgia’s Life Sciences Partner; the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center Advisory Board; Alliant Health Solutions, a Quality Improvement Organization; the Cobb Institute of the National Medical Association; the Cardiovascular Examination Committee of the American Board of Internal Medicine.

Dr. Ofili is a past President and first female President of the Association of Black Cardiologists (ABC), and is Chair-Elect of the ABC Board of Directors.  Dr. Ofili has published over 150 scientific papers and book chapters.

Dr. Ofili received the Master of Public Health Degree from Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD. She graduated with distinction from Ahmadu Bello University in Nigeria, completed internal medicine residency at Oral Roberts University, Tulsa Oklahoma,  cardiology fellowship at Washington University in St Louis, MO, and Advanced echocardiography research fellowship at Saint Louis University, St Louis, MO.

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Victor F. Scott, M.D., M.A.C.P., A.G.A.F.
Professor Emeritus of Internal Medicine, Howard University College of Medicine, Senior Vice President for the Health Sciences (Ret.), Howard University
AAMP Chairman

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A graduate of Howard University School of Medicine, Dr. Scott joined the faculty in the Department of Internal Medicine as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Gastroenterology at the Howard University College of Medicine in 1971. He became Chief of the Division and instituted the Fellowship Training Program in Gastroenterology in 1975. Dr. Scott held escalating leadership roles in the University including Assistant Chairman of Medicine for Postgraduate Education, Vice- chairman and Interim Chairman of Medicine. 
 

He also served as Senior Vice President for the Health Sciences. He belongs to a number of professional organizations including the American College of Physicians of which he is a Master, the American Gastroenterological Association, of which he is a Fellow, the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease, the Association of Academic Minority Physicians, of which he is a Past President and Secretary, and the American Clinical and Climatological Association. Dr. Scott continues to participate in the Fellowship Training Program in Gastroenterology at Howard University Hospital.

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The Honorable Louis W. Sullivan, M.D.
AAMP Founder​

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Louis W. Sullivan, M.D., is chairman of the board of the National Health Museum in Atlanta, Georgia , and chairman of the Washington, D.C.-based Sullivan Alliance to Transform America's Health Professions.
 

He served as chair of the President's Commission on Historically Black Colleges and Universities from 2002-2009, and was co-chair of the President's Commission on HIV and AIDS from 2001-2006. 

As secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) from 1989-1993, he released Healthy People 2000 (a blueprint for health promotion/disease prevention), waged a vigorous campaign against tobacco use, urged increased seat belt use in vehicles, and improved FDA food labels. 

In 1975 Dr. Sullivan was the founding dean and president of Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) serving for more than two decades. He is now President Emeritus.
 

A native of Atlanta, Dr. Sullivan graduated magna cum laude from Morehouse College and earned his medical degree, cum laude, from Boston University School of Medicine. His postgraduate training included a residency in internal medicine at New York Hospital - Cornell Medical Center (1958-1960), a clinical fellowship in pathology at Massachusetts General Hospital (1960-1961), and a research fellowship in hematology at The Thorndike Memorial Laboratory of Harvard Medical School, Boston City Hospital (1961-1963). He is certified in internal medicine and hematology. He served on the faculties of Harvard Medical School , the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and Boston University School of Medicine.

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Gerald E. Thomson, M.D., M.A.C.P.
AAMP Founder
Samuel Lambert Professor of Medicine Emeritus and
Robert Sonneborn Professor of Medicine Emeritus
Columbia University

 

Dr. Gerald Thomson has served for over 50 years at Columbia University caring for patients , teaching and serving in a variety of positions, including several years as Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President for Professional Affairs at the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. As Senior Associate Dean (1991-2002), Dr. Thomson oversaw Columbia’s role in graduate medical education, negotiated and helped establish several new affiliations with regional hospitals, and headed the Office of Minority Affairs.
 

Earlier, in the 1970s, Dr. Thomson was Director of Medicine at the newly established Columbia Affiliation at Harlem Hospital Center. In the 1960s, at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Dr Thomson directed one of the nation’s earliest and largest maintenance dialysis units.
 

While at Columbia, Dr Thomson served as Chairman of the American Board of Internal Medicine and as President of the American College of Physicians. He was the first African American to head each of those organizations. As an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine), Dr. Thomson chaired an NAM bipartisan committee that reviewed the National Institutes of Health Strategic Plan to Reduce and Eliminate Health Disparities.
 

Dr. Thomson has served on and chaired numerous advisory, review and policy committees for the NIH and other entities dealing with hypertension, end stage renal failure, cardiovascular disease in the young, clinical trials, public hospitals, public health, and human rights. He is a cofounder and past president of the New York Society of Nephology, the Association for Academic Minority Physicians, and The Society of Urban Physicians.
 

He was Chairman of the Board of the Institute on Medicine as a Profession (IMAP) which reviewed and promoted professionalism in Medicine in the U.S. and abroad. Dr. Thomson co-chaired an IMAP-Open Society Foundations Task Force (2010-2013) that examined the roles of U.S. military physicians in the interrogation and torture of prisoners held by the U.S. during the post 9/11 War on Terror. He also served as a member of a Constitution Project (Washington) bipartisan panel (2011-2013) that reviewed the mistreatment of post 9/11 U.S. detainees. Dr.Thomson’s honors include: honorary degrees from Columbia University and the Morehouse School of Medicine; a citation from and membership (Hon) in the College of Medicine of South Africa; and a 2002 Columbia University Faculty Presidential Award for Outstanding Teaching.
 

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Bruce W. Trotman, M.D., M.A.C.P., A.G.A.F.
AAMP Founder/Editor Emeritus

 

 

Bruce W. Trotman, M.D., M.A.C.P., AGAF was born in Philadelphia, PA. He graduated with a BA degree from Penn State University. He obtained his MD degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He completed postgraduate training in internal medicine and gastroenterology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Trotman is board certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology. 

 

During his more than 30 years as a professor, researcher, administrator, and clinician at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Meharry Medical College, SUNY HSC at Brooklyn, and UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School, Dr. Trotman cultivated an interest in gallstone disease, colorectal cancer, and chronic hepatitis C virus infection. 

 

In 2001, he was awarded a Master of the American College of Physicians (MACP), a distinction that recognized his contributions to expanding the opportunities for minorities in academic medicine and the health care professions. 

 

Unable to resist an opportunity to enjoy the climate, he moved to Bradenton, FL in March 2003 and joined a local practice. Later, in 2004, Dr. Trotman joined Digestive Disease Specialist of Manatee, PL. Incorporating his vast experience in academic and clinical medicine, Dr. Trotman provides Bradenton and nearby residents with compassionate, quality medical care in the field of gastroenterology with emphasis on colorectal cancer screening, gallstone disease, and chronic hepatitis C virus infection.

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Donald E. Wilson, M.D., M.A.C.P., A.G.A.F.
AAMP Founder/Executive Director
John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers, Distinguished Professor
Dean Emeritus University of Maryland School of Medicine
Vice President for Medical Affairs, Emeritus
University of Maryland, Baltimore

 

 

Donald E. Wilson, M.D., M.A.C.P., A.G.A.F. received his undergraduate degree from Harvard College and his M.D. from Tufts University School of Medicine. Dr. Wilson trained in Medicine and Gastroenterology in Boston, and is board certified in both. He has served as Chief of Gastroenterology at the University of Illinois Medical School in Chicago and Chairman of Medicine at SUNY, Downstate in Brooklyn.

 

In 1991 he became Dean of the University of Maryland School of Medicine, becoming the first African American dean of an accredited non-minority medical accredited school in the United States . During his tenure at Maryland minority student enrollment increased, minority faculty nearly quadrupled, and external research funding quadrupled. Dr. Wilson established the University’s Program in Minority Health, Education and Research. After serving 15 years as Dean and Vice President at Maryland and a year of retirement, Dr. Wilson served as Senior Vice President for Health Sciences at Howard University from 2007-2009 before retiring again in 2010.

 

Dr. Wilson has served on several national policy and advisory committees. He chaired the NIH Digestive Diseases Advisory Committee, the FDA Gastrointestinal Drugs Advisory Committee, and the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (DHHS) Advisory Council. He was also a member of the advisory committee to the director of the NIH.

 

Dr. Wilson is past Chairman of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and the AAMC Council of Deans, the first African-American to hold each of these positions. He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine , the Association of American Physicians, and the American Clinical and Climatological Association. 

 

He served as Vice President of the Alpha Omega Alpha National Board of Directors from 2004-2011 and is a Master of the American College of Physicians. In 2000 Dr. Wilson received the AAMC’s first Herbert Nickens Award for equality and Justice in Medicine. In 2004 he received the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development’s (NIH) first Extramural Associates Distinguished Service Award. In 2006 he received the National Medical Association’s Distinguished Service Award and he was the first recipient of the Institutional Leadership Diversity Award from the AAMC Group on Student Affairs-Minority Affairs Section. Baltimore Magazine named him Baltimorean of the Year in 2007. In 2008 Dr. Wilson received the Abraham Flexner Award from the AAMC, an award given to an individual who has had a major impact on medical education nationally. He holds Honorary Doctor of Science degrees from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, State University of New York Health Science Center, Brooklyn and Tufts University.

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*Deceased

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