Akilah A. Jefferson, MD, MSc is an clinician researcher who is an Associate Professor of Health Systems Science at KPSOM. Dr. Jefferson received her MD from Tulane University School of Medicine, MSc in Biomedical Science Policy and Advocacy from Georgetown University, a postdoctoral fellowship in Bioethics at the National Institutes of Health, completed Internal Medicine residency at the George Washington University, and completed her Allergy and Immunology fellowship at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health. She is board certified in Internal Medicine and Allergy and Immunology. Prior to her role at KPSOM, she was a faculty member at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (2020-2025) and the University of California, San Diego (2017-2020).

Dr. Jefferson’s overall clinical and research focus is to improve the health and well-being of underresourced children with asthma and other allergic and immunologic conditions. She is interested in understanding the impact of social determinants of health on asthma outcomes in non-urban, low-income, and minority populations. Her current grant (K23 award), is aimed at identifying and understanding pediatric asthma disparities that are highly influenced by multifactorial determinants at patient, provider, and community levels, and to develop innovative population-oriented interventions for real-world solutions.

Dr. Jefferson has held several regional and national positions including the Chair of the Committee on Reach and Responsibility (formerly Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee) of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. Dr. Jefferson has received several awards for her work including the 2021 National Minority Quality Forum 40 Under 40 Leaders in Minority Health Award and 2024 University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Department of Pediatrics Junior Faculty Research Award.