Dolores Njoku, MD, director of pediatric anesthesiology at WashU Medicine, anesthesiologist-in-chief at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, and vice chair in the Department of Anesthesiology, has been selected as a 2025–2026 Fellow in the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) Program.
Hosted by Drexel University College of Medicine, the ELAM Program is focused on preparing women for senior leadership roles in academic health centers. The yearlong, highly competitive fellowship is designed for accomplished women at the associate or full professor level who demonstrate exceptional promise for executive leadership in medicine, dentistry, public health, and pharmacy.
“Dr. Njoku’s selection as an ELAM Fellow is a testament to her exceptional leadership, vision, and dedication to academic medicine,” said Michael S. Avidan, MBBCh, FCA SA, Dr. Seymour and Rose T. Brown Professor and head of the Department of Anesthesiology. “Her contributions have consistently elevated WashU Medicine and St. Louis Children’s Hospital, and I am confident this fellowship will even further her ability to have substantial positive impact. The ELAM Program fosters bold, strategic thinking that aligns perfectly with Dr. Njoku’s strengths—and we’re proud to support her as she joins a highly select group of ELAM fellows.”
Njoku’s selection for ELAM reflects her outstanding leadership at WashU Medicine and across the broader academic medicine community. The program aims to build on the professional and personal skills necessary to thrive in today’s complex healthcare landscape, with a particular focus on advancing equity and supporting women in leadership.
As part of the fellowship, each ELAM participant is required to develop and complete an Institutional Action Project—a strategic initiative addressing a critical need at their home institution. Njoku’s project will be developed in collaboration with senior leadership at WashU Medicine and will be presented at the ELAM Leaders Forum in April 2026, ahead of the program’s graduation.
“I am deeply honored to be selected as an ELAM Fellow,” said Njoku. “This opportunity marks a personal milestone and a meaningful way to contribute to the future of academic medicine. I look forward to collaborating with leaders across the country, growing through the program’s curriculum, and bringing new perspectives back to WashU to help strengthen our culture of collaboration, excellence and innovation.”
With more than 1,600 alumnae in leadership roles at over 300 academic health centers worldwide, ELAM has a long-standing impact on transforming leadership in healthcare. Njoku’s participation will not only enhance her individual leadership journey but will further strengthen the department and institution’s commitment to excellence, innovation, collaboration and leadership.