UnitedHealth appoints Nigeria-born Wilson as chief medical officer

Nigerian-born Dr. Margaret-Mary Wilson has been appointed chief medical officer at UnitedHealth Group Inc.

UnitedHealth is an American multinational managed healthcare and insurance company based in Minnesota.

Wilson worked as a doctor with the Nigerian Police before moving to the United States.

The outgoing chief medical officer at UnitedHealth Dr. Richard Migliori is confident that Wilson’s appointment was well-deserved.

“I’ve been honored to serve with an incredibly talented and passionate team across UnitedHealth Group, and confident to be leaving the work ahead in the very capable hands of Dr. Wilson,” Migliori said in a statement.

Wilson has been at UnitedHealth since 2008 – from St. Louis University in Missouri where she was an associate professor of internal and geriatric medicine. At UnitedHealth, she’s had several roles, including senior vice president of UnitedHealthcare Global.

Earlier this year she was recognised as a top 100 most influential African American in business by the National Diversity Council and by Diversity Woman’s Elite 100 list.

“We are delighted about this feat and wish Margaret all the very best in this position,” Professor Olayinka Omigbodun, the provost of the College of Medicine of the University Ibadan, where Wilson schooled, said in a statement.

Wilson was admitted to the first medical school in West Africa, The College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Nigeria in 1977 and graduated in 1983. After the internship and Youth Service, she did post-graduate training in Internal Medicine at the University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan, from 1985-1990. She continued further training in United Kingdom (1990-96) where she received her MRCP.

She moved to the United States to continue her training in Internal Medicine at New York University Downtown Hospital (1997-2000). She joined the faculty at St. Louis University School of Medicine as an Assistant Professor (2000-2005) and as an Associate Professor (2005-2006).

She joined the Gateway Medical Center at Granite City in Illinois as a Physician Advisor (2006-2008). In 2008, she joined the UnitedHealth Group as a Regional Medical Director.

Wilson enrolled in the Executive MBA (Health management) program at the Western Governors University (2012-2013).