Magdala Chery, DO MBS

Marlene Camacho-Rivera, ScD MS MPH

Commonwealth Fund Fellow in Minority Health Policy

Harvard University

Magdala Chery, DO MBS was most recently an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Stratford, NJ. Named one of South Jersey Magazines Top Docs in 2018 and 2019, Dr. Chery is among South Jersey’s leading physicians making a noticeable impact in the health care world. She was selected to be an Albert Schweitzer Fellow in 2010 as well as a New Leaders Council Fellow for the New Jersey Chapter in 2018, which shows her longstanding dedication to public health and service. Outside of the office, she is an in-demand motivational speaker who has delivered many keynotes at events across the nation. Most recently, she has suffered the loss of her father and mother to COVID-19. Through this tragic experience, she personally witnessed the impact of injustice and racism in our healthcare system. Realizing that her family's story was simply an amplified narrative that exists in Black communities, she turned her pain into purpose and created the #NotJustABlackBody campaign. This platform is dedicated to honoring the Black lives impacted by COVID-19, while equipping the community with knowledge about the injustices and racism embedded in the healthcare system. Dr. Chery is also passionate about expanding the conversation on primary care and health in minority communities outside of the exam room/office. She has an interest in evaluating policy to address trauma-informed care for Black women, social determinants of health unification into the electronic medical record, and the integration of mental health in primary care. Dr. Chery received her medical degree from Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine (formerly UMDNJ School of Osteopathic Medicine) in 2014 and completed her internal medicine residency at the University of Connecticut (UCONN) in 2017, with distinction in primary care.