Dr. Akwasi Achampong is an Internal Medicine specialist in New York and is affiliated with multiple hospitals in the area, including Long Island Jewish Medical Center and South Nassau Communities Hospital. He is also a current member of the Xavier University School of Medicine Board of Trustees.
Dr. Achampong traveled to the US from Ghana at the age of 21 with his parents to pursue a better education. He eventually graduated as a pharmacist from Long Island University and began his career at Merck Pharmaceuticals. But he wanted to do more in the medical field. “While practicing as a pharmacist, I realized that my knowledge in patient care was not enough and therefore I decided to further my education in the medical field and specifically as an internist to build a better capacity to take care of people.”
After receiving his medical degree from New York College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dr. Achampong went on to obtain a residency at the Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York. After his residency, he joined Roselle Medical Office and practiced as an internist, later moving on to open a private practice at Elmont Medical PC on Long Island. He is also the President of the Baldwin University College in Ghana.
Dr. Achampong joined the Organization for International Development (OID) to provide medical care for the underprivileged in developing countries. “I felt the need to help people learn how to take care of themselves and others,” he said. “Medicine is a very good career to pursue because you get to witness humanity at its worst and best. You are able to give yourself to help solve other people’s problems. You get to give back to society in your own way.”
Proud of how Xavier University has championed increasing diversity in medical school and the field as a whole, Dr. Achampong added, “Diversity is a very important aspect of our lives. Countless people enter into medical facilities in search of health care – people from different ages, races, religions, cultures, languages and genders. It’s great for anyone to see someone like them within the healthcare workforce.”
