Cover Story With Dr. Olutoyin Abitoye MD – From Lagos to Dallas: The Inspiring Journey of a Student Doctor to Becoming One of Texas’ Best Physicians

Tell us about your growing up years in Nigeria, family influence, your community, and personal experiences that sparked the dream of becoming a doctor.

My dad is actually a doctor as well and that perhaps was one of the factors that inspired my decision to study medicine.  However, a doctor uncle of mine who is late now, also highly influenced my career choice. I saw that he derived joy in getting people better in terms of their health conditions, while at the same time making a decent living wage. I admired the charm he exuded while leading his clinical staff.

There are a lot of struggles in medical education in Nigeria—limited resources and long hours. Tell us how you are determined to succeed.

I’m not sure how it really is now, however back then, in my time in medical school, it was tough. We had to study for very long hours, participate in numerous discussion groups and practical sessions. We had to sacrifice a good number of holidays unlike our non medical colleagues who went home to enjoy those festive seasons. Looking back, it’s hard to imagine how one pulled through mentally.  But the summary is that once one had decided on that chosen career path, one just had to be laser focused and determined to succeed. And seeing my peers channel all of their strengths and resources into our medical studies inspired me personally.  I’ll say moving with the right crowd helped a ton. Medical school is one place where the phrase ‘do not follow bad gang’ applies a great deal.