Wayne A.I. Frederick

Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick was appointed the seventeenth president of Howard University in 2014. He previously served as Provost and Chief Academic Officer. A distinguished scholar and administrator, Dr. Frederick has advanced Howard University’s commitment to student opportunity, academic innovation, public service and fiscal stability. Under his leadership, Howard University is now ranked as a Tier 1 national university by U.S. News & World Report. Early in his tenure as president, Dr. Frederick pursued initiatives to streamline and strengthen University operations. He has overseen a series of reform efforts including the expansion of academic offerings, establishing innovative programs to support student success, and the modernization of university facilities. As an undergraduate, Dr. Frederick was admitted to Howard University’s B.S./M.D. dual degree program. He completed the requirements for both degrees in six years, allowing him to earn his Bachelor of Science and his medical degree by the age of 22. Following his post-doctoral research and surgical oncology fellowships at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Dr. Frederick began his academic career as Associate Director of the Cancer Center at the University of Connecticut. Upon his return to Howard University, his academic positions included Associate Dean in the College of Medicine, Division Chief in the Department of Surgery, Director of the Cancer Center and Deputy Provost for Health Sciences. He also earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Howard University’s School of Business in 2011. Dr. Frederick is the author of numerous peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, abstracts, and editorials and is a widely recognized expert on disparities in healthcare and medical education. He continues to operate and lectures to second-year medical students and surgical residents of Howard University’s College of Medicine. His medical research seeks to narrow the disparity in all cancer-care outcomes, with a focus on gastrointestinal cancers. Dr. Frederick also devotes his time writing and speaking on salient topics in higher education – the impact of HBCUs, campus intellectual diversity, the underrepresentation of African American men in medical schools, and gender equality on campus. Dr. Frederick has received various awards honoring his scholarship and service. In January 2017, the Federal Reserve System Board of Governors elected Dr. Frederick to the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond’s Baltimore Branch. He was also presented with the Diaspora Public Diplomacy Leadership Award by the Embassy of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago for his contributions to strengthening Trinidad and Tobago-United States bilateral relations through excellence in global educational leadership. In May 2016, President Barack H. Obama appointed Dr. Frederick to the Board of Advisors for the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Dr. Frederick has also received the National Association of Health Services Executives’ Congressional Black Caucus Distinguished Leadership in Health Care Award, and a Congressional Citation for Distinguished Service, presented by the Honorable Barbara Lee on the Occasion of Caribbean-American Heritage Month. In 2015, Dr. Frederick was also recognized by their excellencies Anthony Thomas Aquinas Carmona, President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and Mrs. Reema Carmona, for his appointment as President of Howard University. Dr. Frederick is a member of American surgical and medical associations including the American Surgical Association and the American College of Surgeons. He has also been featured as one of “America’s Best Physicians” by Black Enterprise Magazine, has been named one of EBONY Magazine’s “Power 100,” and was recognized as a “Super Doctor” in The Washington Post Magazine. In 2017, Dr. Frederick was named Washingtonian of the Year by Washingtonian Magazine and in 2015 was named “Male President of the Year” by HBCU Digest and was inducted into the St. Mary’s College, Port of Spain, Trinidad Hall of Fame. Dr. Frederick resides in Washington D.C. with his wife, Simone and their two children, Kirie and Wayne II. He is a true son of Howard University—a proud and loyal exemplar of its motto: Truth and Service.

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