Featured Researcher: Modele Ogunniyi

What is your professional background? 
I received my medical degree from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, and a Master of Public Health with a Certificate in Health Finance and Management from Johns Hopkins University. My postgraduate training includes a preventive medicine and public health fellowship at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a residency in internal medicine at Morehouse School of Medicine, and a cardiology fellowship at Vanderbilt University.

In what division do you work, and who is your mentor? 
I am an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology and serve as the Assistant Medical Director of Grady’s Heart Failure Program. I have been fortunate to have a team of mentors at different stages of my career.

Briefly describe your research. Why is it important?  
My current research focuses on diabetes and heart failure. Recent outcome trials in patients with type 2 diabetes have demonstrated reduction in hospitalizations for heart failure with sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors. I am the Site Principal Investigator for a number of multicenter randomized control trials that are investigating the effects of this class of medications in patients with heart failure, both preserved and reduced ejection fraction, irrespective of diabetes status. We have a strong collaboration with Dr. Guillermo Umpierrez and his team in Endocrinology. More recently, I have developed an interest in palliative care for our advanced heart failure patients.

What do you like most about Emory? 
My clinical and research efforts are primarily at Grady Memorial Hospital. I have the opportunity to mentor cardiology fellows and internal medicine residents on research and quality improvement projects. Grady provides a great collaborative research environment to study disparities in cardiovascular disease.

What do you like to do in your spare time? 
I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, travelling, good music, and cooking with my husband; he is a great cook.

What is a fun fact about you? 
I am a Princess from Sagamu, a city in Ogun State, Western Nigeria. My royal name ‎is “Aderonke” which means “The Crown has someone to care for” or “The Crown has a Precious One.”