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Elijah Saunders, MD, FACC, FACP
Dr. Elijah Saunders is a Professor of Medicine, Head, Section of Hypertension in the Division of Cardiology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland. He also serves as Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. He is Vice President for Graduate Medical Education and Affiliations at the University of Maryland Hospital.
Dr. Saunders received his Medical Degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine and his Bachelor of Science Degree from Morgan State College. He completed both his Residency in Internal Medicine and a Fellowship in Cardiology at the University of Maryland in Baltimore.
Dr. Saunders has received the American Heart Association’s Award of Merit, Louis B. Russell Award (highest award for contribution to cardiovascular minority health) and the Presidential Award from the Maryland Affiliate. He was honored by the Association of Black Cardiologists in conjunction with the National Medical Association in 2003 as the “Cardiologist of the Year”. He is a Fellow of the American Heart Association,member of the AHA Council on Clinical Cardiology and a Fellow of the Council on High Blood Pressure Research. He has served on all levels of both the national and local American Heart Associations. He has also served on numerous panels, study groups, site visit groups and committees including the Advisory Council of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health. He is an active researcher in the field of hypertension and cardiovascular disease, especially as these problems affect African Americans. He is a chartered member and a steering committee member of the Maryland Heart, Hypertension and Kidney Center.
Dr. Saunders is a founding member, past Chairman of the Board member, and past President of the Association of Black Cardiologists. He is also a co-founder, past President and past Chairman of the Board of the International Society on Hypertension in Blacks(ISHIB). Another organization founded by Dr. Saunders, is the (former)Baltimore Urban Cardiology Research Center, Inc. He is a co-founder of Heart House of the American College of Cardiology and is a chartered member of the American Society of Hypertension and serves on its Executive Council. He is a chartered member of the Coalition of Southeastern Hypertension Centers(COSEHC). Locally, he has served as Chairman of the Maryland High Blood Pressure Coordinating Council and a Commissioner of the Maryland High Blood Pressure Commission. He is immediate past chairman of the Maryland Advisory Council on Heart Disease and Stroke.
A Fellow of the American College of Cardiology, American College of Physicians, American Heart Association Council on High Blood Pressure Research and the American College of Angiology and a certified specialist in Clinical Hypertension (American Society of Hypertension), Dr. Saunders has lectured extensively throughout the country and internationally, on hypertension, especially in special populations, such as, Blacks, elderly and those with concomitant diseases.
He is co-author of the medical textbook, Hypertension in Blacks: Epidemiology, Pathophysiology and Treatment, and a book for the public on High Blood Pressure. He is Chief Editor of the textbook, Cardiovascular Diseases in Blacks. He is also co-author of the “Handbook of Management of Hypertension in African Americans”. He has appeared on numerous radio, TV, video taped programs, internet programs and has written extensively for numerous medical journals, textbooks, consumer magazines on the diagnosis, treatment and control of hypertension, particularly in Black populations. He is a reviewer for several hypertension publications and serves on their editorial boards.
In 1996-1997, Dr. Saunders took Sabbatical leave from the University of Maryland to do research in England, studying dietary salt, salt sensitivity and hypertension in an African Caribbean population. In May 1998, Dr. Saunders was awarded the (Honorary) Doctor of Science degree from his undergraduate Alma Mater, Morgan State University. In May of 1999, he was awarded an (Honorary) Doctor of Science degree from the Medical University of South Carolina. A Hypertension Professorship is being developed in recognition of his work at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
During his “spare-time”, Dr. Saunders enjoys tennis, golf and plays the violin. He is the founder of the University of Maryland Medical Center Chamber Players.
He is married to Sharon Saunders, MD, a geriatrician and is the father of three adult children and two step-children. He serves on the Board of Directors of his church and is the founder of his church’s scholarship fund. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the (Baltimore) Hippodrome Foundation, and the (Baltimore) Central Scholarship Committee.
Diep Koly, MD -- Medical Writer, Editor, and Consultant
Diep Koly is a physician and biomedical communications specialist with 4 years of experience in medical writing, content editing, and consulting. After receiving her MD degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Medical School, Dr. Koly completed 17 months of internal medicine residency training at the University of Kansas School of Medicine. Following her residency, she established an independent business as a freelance medical writer. She has worked on numerous forms of media publications, including sales training programs, journal articles, abstracts, pharmaceutical reports, medical textbooks, symposia, and web applications. Her therapeutic areas of expertise include cardiology, gastroenterology, oncology, rheumatology, obstetrics and gynecology, and ophthalmology.
After completing her medical training, Dr. Koly also served as the Medical Editor for Intelihealth, a subsidiary of Aetna US Healthcare. In this role, she developed content for Aetna’s award winning consumer health website, Intelihealth.com, and managed and expanded Intelihealth’s professional website to include clinical and practice management information, tools, and resources for physicians. She was also responsible for researching and developing strategies for Aetna’s e-health initiatives and served as a liaison to Aetna’s board of medical directors and quality assurance group to help ensure coordination of efforts.
Dr. Koly also recently served as the Medical Director for Apothecom Associates, a medical education agency. In this role, she was responsible for the development of client medical communications strategies and worked closely with pharmaceutical clients, writers, authors, and content contributors to oversee the implementation of tactical plans. Her medical background and experience in the pharmaceutical, managed care, and medical publishing industry brought broad perspective to her role as Medical Director and continues to provide perspective and expertise to her current role as the medical writer for Scinexa.
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