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January 27, 2026 in News & Press, Upward Health, Upward Health News

3 Things to Know About Our New Advisor, Dr. Amaka Eneanya

Upward Health welcomes a new voice on our Board of Advisors

We’re proud to welcome Amaka Eneanya, MD, MPH as a new advisor to Upward Health. A nationally recognized physician executive, researcher, and advocate, Dr. Eneanya brings expertise that aligns deeply with our mission — and arrives at a pivotal moment in our growth.

3 Things To Know About Our New Advisor

1. She changed how kidney disease is diagnosed nationwide

Dr. Eneanya led efforts to remove race from the kidney function equation, changing a long-standing clinical practice that affected how kidney disease was identified, staged, and treated across the U.S. Before this change, race-based calculations routinely underestimated disease severity, delaying diagnosis and limiting timely access to life-saving treatment and transplants for black patients. Her work reshaped national clinical guidelines, expanding access to kidney transplants for thousands of patients and improving care for millions nationwide.

She recently joined our Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Anubhav Kaul, on Upward Health’s podcast, House Calls with Dr. Kaul, where she discussed this work. 

🎬 Watch the clip below: 

2. Her path to nephrology is deeply personal 

Originally trained as a palliative care researcher, Dr. Eneanya was called into nephrology through both her clinical work and personal experience. Her father lived with chronic kidney disease and underwent dialysis, giving her firsthand insight into how complex and fragmented care systems impact patients and families. That perspective continues to shape her advocacy for care models grounded in real patient needs, not abstract theory.

3. She pushed the conversation beyond medicine

Dr. Eneanya’s impact extended into the public spotlight when a TikTok she posted explaining the real-world consequences of race-based algorithms went viral. She later served as a consultant on a Grey’s Anatomy episode exploring the same issue, bringing a critical but often invisible problem in healthcare into the national conversation.

Amaka Eneanya, MD, MPH is a physician executive and most recently served as Chief Transformation Officer at Emory Healthcare. Dr. Eneanya has an impressive record enhancing performance, mitigating risk, and driving change throughout complex multi-layered organizations. She possesses profound transformational, operational, and financial acumen along with a cross-functional background that includes patient experience, engagement and activation, digital health, and health equity. She has been cited in leading academic journals and major news outlets for her rare experience advancing changes in national and international healthcare standards and U.S. federal policies. Dr. Eneanya earned a Bachelor of Arts Cum Laude at Cornell University, Doctor of Medicine Cum Laude at Meharry Medical College, and a Master of Public Health in Clinical Effectiveness at Harvard University’s School of Public Health. She did her Residency in Internal Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and her Fellowship in Nephrology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital.

Dr. Eneanya’s voice reflects the future of healthcare we’re building, one that brings clinical excellence and deep respect for patients into every home we serve. Together, we’re advancing a care model that listens closely, acts with intention, and delivers meaningful impact for those who need it most.
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About Upward Health

Upward Health is an in-home multidisciplinary medical group that partners with health plans and other risk-bearing entities to address the needs of high- and emerging-risk patients. Using a unique, in-home, whole-person care approach to meeting a patient’s needs, Upward Health delivers and coordinates care that improves outcomes and the quality of life for every patient it serves. It has a Net Promoter Score of 91, among the highest in the healthcare industry, and ranks No. 4 on the 2025 Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in the nation. To learn more, visit www.upwardhealth.com.

Press Contact: Ashley Kurpiewski, akurpiewski@upwardhealth.com