The resume of Elizabeth O. Ofili, M.D., chief of cardiology at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, is a long string of superlatives and stellar achievements. Dr. Ofili's research centers around heart ailments that are all too common in African Americans. For example, she is the principal investigator of the NIH-sponsored studies on the genetic determinants of hypertensive heart disease in African Americans. But her complex research has always focused on tangible benefits in better health for African Americans. This focus on the big picture is revealed by the fact that she did not stop after earning a medical degree from Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, Nigeria, but earned a degree in public health from Johns Hopkins University.
To protect themselves, Dr. Ofili urges every patient, and potential patient, to take an active role in understanding what researchers have learned about risk factors for heart disease.
