Dr. Ndidi Unaka

Biography

Ndidi Unaka is the inaugural Chief Health Equity Officer at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health. She is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Stanford University School of Medicine. Previously, she was a faculty member in the Division of Hospital Medicine at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, where she served as the Associate Program Director for the Pediatric Residency Program from 2011 to January 2022. In her clinical role as a pediatric hospitalist, she was also the medical director of a 48-bed inpatient unit primarily serving patients admitted to the Hospital Medicine service. Dr. Unaka's work is focused on equity-oriented quality improvement initiatives, including addressing hunger among caregivers of hospitalized children with Medicaid insurance. She has led community health initiatives at Cincinnati Children’s and served as Medical Director for Quality Improvement Data Analytics at a Medicaid-focused accountable care organization. Her efforts aimed to improve health care quality and delivery, reduce costs, and narrow equity gaps. Dr. Unaka is also actively involved in leading the Cincinnati Children's Health Equity Network, targeting disparities in child health outcomes related to race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status.

Research Interests

Experience