Dr. Abayomi Akanji, of North Haven, has been appointed to the founding faculty of the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University.
As a professor of medical sciences, Akanji will be responsible for teaching clinical chemistry and endocrinology in the new medical school, which will train primary care physicians when it opens this fall on Quinnipiac’s North Haven Campus.
“This is an excellent opportunity to be on the founding faculty of a brand new medical school that will produce graduates who are interested in primary care medicine,” said Akanji, who comes to Quinnipiac from Brown University, where he was a visiting professor of metabolic medicine at the Warren Alpert Medical School. Before that, he was a professor of clinical pathology at Kuwait University.
Dr. Bruce Koeppen, founding dean of the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine, said, “I am excited that Dr. Akanji has joined our faculty. His research on and expertise in high-impact diseases such as metabolic syndrome, diabetes and hypertension will be invaluable as we teach our students about these important entities.”
Akanji earned his doctorate in philosophy at the University of Oxford. He also holds a medical degree and master’s degree in chemical pathology from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria.
He is a fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists of London, the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland and the Nigerian Academy of Sciences. He also has been elected as a fellow of the U.S. National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry. His research interests include diabetes, lipids and cardiovascular disease risk factors.
In addition, Akanji is a member of several professional societies, including the International Diabetes Federation, the International Federation of Clinical Chemists, the American Association of Clinical Chemistry, the Association of Clinical Biochemistry of the UK and the American Heart Association’s Council on Epidemiology and Prevention. He also is a member of the editorial board of “Metabolic Syndrome & Related Disorders.”
The Liaison Committee on Medical Education granted preliminary accreditation to the medical school in October 2012, just before the state Board of Education gave its approval.
The medical school has named St. Vincent’s Medical Center of Bridgeport, Conn., as its primary clinical affiliate. The medical school also has clinical affiliations with MidState Medical Center of Meriden, Conn. and Middlesex Hospital of Middletown, Conn.