Driven by her personal and professional experiences, Nakiya Showell has devoted her career to understanding and addressing inequities among marginalized and minoritized communities, with a particular focus on cardiovascular disease risk.

“Where you live does indeed affect your health,” she says. “I understood that very clearly from families themselves,” who spoke of their difficulty getting nutritious food and finding safe and accessible places for their children to play.

Showell grew up in Philadelphia. She came to Baltimore to earn her master’s degree in public health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and completed a fellowship in general academic pediatrics. She earned a second master’s degree in clinical investigation from the school and has been on faculty since 2013.

In 2021, Showell was named the first African American medical director of the Harriet Lane Clinic. The clinic serves as a national model for innovative primary care delivery approaches and has provided pediatric care to the East Baltimore community for over a century. As medical director, Showell has focused on optimizing clinical operations, enhancing primary care training, and increasing patient and family engagement.

She has mentored and advised numerous individuals throughout her career, many of whom are from underrepresented populations in medicine and have been highly successful in their academic pursuits.

Her passion for mentorship and community-engaged service animates her non-work life as well. In 2024, she was elected president of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Upsilon Epsilon Omega (UEO) Chapter in Baltimore County and serves as a board member of Ladies of Vision Charities Inc. (LOV Charities). Dedicated to scholarship, public service, and civic engagement, UEO and LOV Charities have provided over 5,000 hunger packs to 200 students and their families through their childhood hunger program and awarded over $339,000 in scholarships over UEO’s 30-year history.

“I wear lots of different hats,” she says, “but service has always been at my core, particularly service that supports and uplifts those who come from communities often overlooked and underserved.”