City & State New York names Dr.Machelle Allen to its ‘2023 Power of Diversity: Black 100’ list

NYC Health + Hospitals on Nov 14 announced that Senior Vice President (SVP) and Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr. Machelle Allen is named on City & State New York’s “2023 Power of Diversity: Black 100” list. Ranked number 64, Dr. Allen is recognized for her commitment to serving low-income patients. She recently joined Mayor Eric Adams to outline his vision for the future of women’s health in New York City. Dr. Allen is a veteran of the municipal health care system: she completed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi, worked as an attending physician at Harlem and Bellevue hospitals, and served as the Associate Medical Director at Bellevue until 2013 when she became the System’s Deputy CMO. Dr. Allen was promoted to SVP and CMO in 2017. 

 “Thank you to City & State for recognizing me among so many remarkable people,” said Dr. Allen. “I am inspired by the NYC Health + Hospitals mission: To serve the underserved, deliver high-quality care that is culturally appropriate and compassionate, and to empower patients by giving them the education, tools, and confidence they need to live their healthiest lives. I have dedicated my career, both as an ob-gyn and as a health care executive, to eliminating disparities among people of color, particularly birthing people and those living with chronic conditions. I look forward to continuing this important work alongside my brilliant colleagues at NYC Health + Hospitals.” 

Early in her career, Dr. Allen treated pregnant patients with substance use disorder and those who were at risk for HIV infection. As SVP and CMO, Dr. Allen developed the clinical service line structure that resulted in the implementation of systemwide clinical initiatives, including the underpinnings of the critical care COVID-19 pandemic response. 

In response to the mental health crisis seen in New York City, the behavioral health service line under Dr. Allen’s leadership launched B-HEARD (Behavioral Health Emergency Assistance Response Division) program in 2021, which deploys social workers along with EMS personnel as first responders, in lieu of police officers. 

Dr. Allen established the Office of Clinical Operations, which instituted surveillance of the health care system’s wastewater for emerging infections. She also created a systemwide Office of Women’s Health Services. Under this aegis, the NYC Health + Hospitals Maternal Home was “birthed” – one of the few in New York State. 

Dr. Allen is a graduate of Cornell University and the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine. 

Image courtesy of Image Provided

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