Our Members

Petronella A. Adomako, MD, MPH

Dr. Adomako’s area of expertise is in the treatment of general infectious diseases that effect the skin, bone, bloodstream and soft tissue. She is also an expert in the management of various viral infections, STDs and HIV.

Alice Akunyili, MD

Dr. Alice Akunyili, MD, received her Medical Degree from the Victor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Timisoara, Romania. She has worked in Medical Education as the Associate Director of Clinical Academics with Kaplan 

Medical and more recently at the Florida International University. She is currently the Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs at the Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Krow Ampofo, MBCHB

Dr. Krow Ampofo received his medical degree from the University of Ghana Medical School, completed his pediatric residency at the Children's Hospital of New Jersey at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, and his fellowship in pediatric infectious diseases at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He is currently a Professor in the Divisions of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the University of Utah and Primary Children´s Hospital. Dr. Ampofo´s clinical interests include the epidemiology, diagnosis and management of emerging infectious diseases including influenza, respiratory infections. He is also keenly interested in the evaluation of internationally adopted children, and tuberculosis in children.

Elliot A. Asare, MD, MS, CMQ

Elliot Asare, MD, MS is an Assistant Professor in the Section of Surgical Oncology within the Division of General Surgery at the University of Utah. Dr. Asare specializes in cutaneous malignancies and sarcomas of the retroperitoneum and other soft tissues.

Erica N. Baiden, MD

Dr. Baiden is board certified in family medicine. She earned her medical degree from the University of Utah (2007). She completed medical residencies in family medicine and obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Utah, School of Medicine.

She believes in a team approach that includes the patient in the decision making process. This involves applying evidence based medicine and non-medical approaches such as nutritional counseling and exercise management.

Outside of her practice, Dr. Baiden is an adjunct associate professor with the University of Utah. She spends her free time enjoying basketball, rugby, hiking, mountain climbing, and snowboarding.

Samuel Cheshier, MD, PHD

Dr. Cheshier is the Director of Pediatric Surgical Neuro-Oncology at University of Utah’s Huntsman Cancer Institute. His desire to help patients overcome malignant brain tumors motivates him to conduct basic science research, with the goal of translating experiments into therapies.

His laboratory utilizes a powerful immune-therapy strategy where CD47-SIRPa interactions between tumor cells and macrophages are blocked by Hu5F9-G4 in combination with potent immunotherapies including anti-cancer targeted monoclonal antibodies (anti-PDL1, anti-CD44, anti-Her2/Neu, anti-GD2), and modulators of macrophage activity (anti-CD40).

Dr. Cheshier previously worked as a faculty member at Stanford where he was in charge of the preclinical development of Hu5F9-G4 against malignant brain tumors. He was also a participant in the anti-CD47 Disease Team that helped develop the therapy into Phase 1 clinical trial.

Since accepting a position at the Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah School of Medicine as Director of Pediatric Surgical Neuro-Oncology, one of his laboratory’s main goals is to enhance anti-CD47 mediated phagocytosis by promoting the expression of pro-phagocytosis signals on brain cancer cells by irradiation. Irradiation is a well-known enhancer of pro-phagocytosis signal presentation on tumor cells.

Richard Ferguson, MD, MBA

Dr. Ferguson currently is Chief Medical Officer for Health Choice Utah. He continues to work as an emergency clinician for the Indian Health Services in Minnesota. Dr. Ferguson is the president and founding member of Black Physicians of Utah.

Maia Hightower, MD, MPH, MBA

Dr. Maia Hightower, MD, MPH, MBA is the Chief Medical Information Officer for The University of Utah Health. She joined the UUH team in March of 2019. Prior to joining the University of Utah Health team, she was the Chief Medical Information Officer and Interim Chief Population Health Officer for The University of Iowa Health Care.

Jessica L Jones, MD, MSPH

Jessica L. Jones, M.D., M.S.P.H., is a board-certified family medicine physician who currently serves as Assistant Professor for the Division of Public Health in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at the University Of Utah School Of Medicine.

Stephen Kimani, MD,Msc

Assistant Professor/Medical Oncologist at University of Utah Health

Dr. Kimani is a Hematologist-Oncologist that has a a special interest in Breast Cancer treatment. He is originally from Kenya but completed an internal medicine residency at Duke Medical Center and his fellowship in Heme-Onc at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Kris Obah, MD

Dr. Obah is double board certified in interventional Pain Medicine and Internal Medicine. He practices at Life Spring Utah. He received received his medical education in Ahmadu Bello University

Teaching Hospital in Nigeria, one of the oldest and best

medical schools in the country. He completed his Internal Medicine residency at Mount Sinai and his fellowship in Anesthesia

(Interventional) Pain Management at the University of Utah.

Dr. Obah believes that greatness is measured by the accomplishment of those we aid and continually improves himself to better serve his patients.

Ijeoma Iko, MD

Dr. Iko grew up in Fairfax, Virginia (in the Washington, DC area). She received her bachelor’s degree from Duke University with a focus in health policy and earned her medical degree from Brown University. She then moved across the country to complete her Obstetrics and Gynecology residency at the University of California, Davis. She is currently completing her fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the University of Utah. As a fertility/infertility specialist, Dr. Iko’s clinical interests include: infertility, recurrent pregnancy loss, polycystic ovarian syndrome and other reproductive endocrine disorders. Her research interests include: cost-effective care analyses, disparities in infertility diagnoses and treatment outcomes as well as social and environmental impacts on fertility. Dr. Iko also has an interest in patient education and advocacy. In her time away from work she enjoys trying new restaurants, traveling, reading (especially science fiction), and spending quality time with loved ones

Yaw A. Boateng, MD,PhD,MBCHB

Dr. Yaw A. Boateng, MD, PhD is Board certified in Nephrology and Internal Medicine. His practice includes general nephrology, ICU nephrology; all dialysis modalities- hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis and home dialysis; electrolyte abnormalities and hypertension.

Dr. Boateng obtained his medical degree from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology School of Medical Sciences (KNUST-SMS) in Kumasi, Ghana. He also has a PhD in Clinical Pharmacology from the University of Aberdeen in the UK. He completed internship and residency in Internal Medicine at Montefiore North Division in Bronx, NY and Fellowship in Nephrology at the Montefiore Medical Center North Division/New York Medical College.

Dr. Boateng is a published author of children’s books as well as peer-reviewed scientific publications in the British Journal of Pharmacology, British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology and European Journal of Urology & Nephrology. Recently elected as a Fellow of the American College of Physicians. He is currently Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Utah.

Dr. Fleming
IRMA D. FLEMING, MD

Dr. Irma Fleming is an Assistant Professor of Surgery at the University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics. She received her general surgery training at the University of Chicago in Chicago, IL. Her specialties include acute burn care, burn surgery and reconstruction. Additionally, she has formal training in surgical critical care with an emphasis on trauma. Dr. Fleming completed a fellowship in Burn Surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN, and she continued her training in critical care at the University of Chicago in Chicago, IL.

Adebayo Adesomo, MD

Dr. Adebayo Adesomo is a fellow in the department of Maternal-Fetal Medicine. He obtained his medical degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center prior to completing his residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at The Ohio State University. Dr. Adesomo’s clinical focus is evidenced-based counseling and management of medically and obstetrically complicated pregnancies. His research interests include fetal growth restriction, diabetes in pregnancy, and critical care.

Kolawale S. Okuyemi, MD, MPH

Dr. Okuyemi is a physician scientist whose career over the past 20 years has been devoted to research and programs to improve the health of underserved populations and eliminate health disparities using pharmacological and culturally tailored interventions.

Afaf E. Osman, MD

Afaf Osman recently graduated from the University of Chicago Hematology/Oncology Fellowship program where she was a leukemia fellow for two years. Her clinical interest is in myeloid malignancies. Her research interest is in studying clonal hematopoiesis as a precursor condition to myeloid malignancies. Prior to fellowship, she was an internal medicine resident at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.

Marcellus S. Assiago, MD

Marcellus Assiago MD went to Moi University Medical School, Eldoret Kenya. His Internal Medicine training was at Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network, Allentown, Pennsylvania from 2003 to 2006. He completed his fellowship training in 2008 at Tufts Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, specializing in Nephrology and Hypertension.

Upon completion of his fellowship, he joined the Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology at the University of Utah. He currently is an Assistant Professor of Medicine and the Medical Director for Iron Mission Dialysis Center in Cedar City as well as Hurricane Dialysis Center.

Amy L. Wilson, MD

Dr. Wilson is an Assistant Professor (Clinical), who earned her medical degree at the University of Utah School of Medicine. She completed psychiatry residency at University of Washington and returned to the University of Utah for a fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry. Dr. Wilson’s academic interests include cross-cultural psychiatry, mindfulness-based psychotherapy, and gender dysphoria.

Dr. Wilson is a child and adolescent inpatient hospitalist at the University of Utah Huntsman Mental Health Institute and Medical Director at Alpine Academy in Erda, Utah.

Edem Binka, MD

Edem K. Binka, MD, is a pediatric cardiologist at the University of Utah and Primary Children’s Hospital. Dr. Binka received his medical degree from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. He completed his pediatric residency at the University of Maryland then a pediatric cardiology fellowship at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Binka completed an additional year of advanced imaging training in fetal, transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography, and cardiac MRI at Johns Hopkins University. He is board certified in General Pediatrics and Pediatric Cardiology.

Dr. Binka specializes in the care of children and adolescents with congenital heart disease. His clinical practice also includes fetal cardiology. His research interests include the use of advanced non-invasive imaging techniques to improve the assessment of cardiovascular disease risk factors in children and adolescents.

Fiemu Nwariaku, MD

Fiemu Nwariaku, M.D., now serves as chair of the Department of Surgery at the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine at the University of Utah. Nwariaku comes to U of U Health from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW) in Dallas, Texas, where he currently serves as the Malcom O. Perry Professor of Surgery and executive vice chair in the Department of Surgery, as well as associate dean for Global Health at the UTSW medical school. He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a past president of the Association of Academic Surgery.

Nwariaku cares for patients with a focus on endocrine surgery, is at the forefront of breakthroughs in treating endocrine system disorders, and is known for building clinical programs at UTSW across surgical specialties, hospital systems, and affiliates including the Texas Heart Resources Dallas. As an educator, he has established many academic programs locally, nationally, and internationally, including a global health curriculum for medical students and an Endocrine Surgery Fellowship.

Nwariaku’s background and training includes the University of Ibadan, University College Hospital in Nigeria, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, where he trained and has served as a faculty member since 1998, and the University of Tennessee.

Robert Teixeira MD

Dr. Robert Teixeira is a Hand and Plastic Surgeon with the Division of Plastic Surgery at the University of Utah. His clinical and academic interests include peripheral nerve surgery, complex hand reconstruction, microsurgical reconstruction of wounds of all varieties, diversity, equity and inclusion in medicine, mentoring, and teaching.

Bismarck Odei MD

Dr. Bismarck Odei, MD, is a Radiation Oncologist located at the Huntsman Cancer Hospital. He currently authors several journal publications. He attended medical school at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He completed his residency at Ohio State University- School of Medicine in Radiation Oncology.

Giavonni Lewis, MD

Dr. Giavonni Lewis, MD, FACS,  is an Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of Utah Hospital and Clinics. She received her general surgery training at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, IL. Her specialties include acute burn care, burn surgery and reconstruction. Additionally, she has formal training in surgical critical care with an emphasis on trauma. Dr. Lewis completed a fellowship in Burn Surgery at the University of Washington Burn Center in Seattle, and she continued her training in critical care at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, DC.

Ariel Rodgers, MD

Dr. Ariel Rodgers, MD is a burn fellow at the University of Utah Hospital SICU/ICU. She completed her residency at San Joaquin General Hospital in 2022. 

Blessing Oyeniyi, MD

Dr. Blessing Oyeniyi, MD specializes in psychiatry at Intermountain Healthcar, and completed her residency at the University of Texas - Austin. 

Shonte Mckenzie, MD

Dr. Shonte Mckenzie, MD received her degree in medicine from University of California, San Diego School of Medicine in 2015. She received residency training  University of California, San Francisco – East Bay
General Surgery.