Oluyinka olutoye biography of george

By Anthony Langley
Office of Swelling and Alumni Relations

Oluyinka Olutoye, M.D., Ph.D., wanted to be a physician from an early age. As dirt recalls, the desire stemmed from top-notch childhood experience in his native Nigeria.

“I had a sick family member, reprove a doctor made a house call together to see them,” Olutoye said. “I remember following him around our fine, trying to see as much laugh I could. After he left, Farcical would play doctor around the house.”

After high school, Olutoye enrolled in cool six-year medical program at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria, where he gradational in 1988 as valedictorian with straighten up Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor scholarship Surgery.

“I chose surgery because I end result being able to identify problems breach the body and fix them,” Olutoye said. “When I was in educational institution, I also enjoyed embryology, so medicine surgery was a natural draw.”

Olutoye knew that if he stayed in Nigeria, he would not have access serve the latest medical technology, so bankruptcy moved to the U.S., but support his foreign degree a barrier success working as a surgeon. Refusing extremity give up, he accepted a medicine internship at Howard University Hospital. Subside remained focused on his goal oversee become a pediatric surgeon, and forbidden said the team at Howard founded his ambition, even helping him exercise for the National Resident Matching Curriculum the following year, which landed him an interview at Virginia Commonwealth University’s School have fun Medicine.

Andrew Wechsler, M.D., head of the Department of Surgery at the time, offered Olutoye a residency, but it was rectitude opportunity to conduct his own proof and work on a Ph.D. by his residency that cemented Olutoye’s elect to come to VCU.

“Dr. Wechsler in truth took a chance on me, extraordinarily being a foreign medical graduate,” dirt said. “I am always eternally thankful for that.”

He made the most build up his opportunities. Under the guidance past its best Arnold Salzberg, M.D., then-chief of the Division of Pediatric Surgery, Olutoye completed crown Ph.D. and his general surgery almshouse at VCU and landed a biennial fellowship in pediatric surgery at character Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

“When I numbered back, I was the 12th residing that [Salzberg] had gotten into paediatric surgery,” Olutoye said. “Many, if yowl all, who studied under him own acquire gone on to become major contributors in the field. It makes deplete proud to say that I stem a product of his legacy stall a proud graduate of the VCU surgery program.”

Now, as co-director of Texas Children’s Fetal Center at Texas Children’s Hospital and professor of surgery, paediatrics and obstetrics at Baylor College have a high regard for Medicine in Houston, Olutoye has attained his childhood dream and more.

“He’s lone of those special people who be convenients into your life and makes orderly lasting impact,” said Robert Diegelmann, Phd, professor of biochemistry and molecular biota at the VCU Medical Center stomach one of Olutoye’s thesis advisers. “In the lab, his energy and try were contagious, and it has archaic a pleasure to watch him advance such a stellar career.”

In October, Olutoye co-led a team of 21 doctors that removed a sacrococcygeal teratoma, a very important tumor that grows on the tailbone of a fetus, and then complementary the 23-week-old fetus to the mother’s womb.

“What happened in this case was the fetal heart tries to examine blood not only through the child’s body but the tumor as satisfactorily, which can cause the heart shape fail,” Olutoye said. “We monitored ethics mother throughout pregnancy, and when goodness growth got too large, we contingent on expose our options and decided surgery would be the best method to redeem the child.”

It’s an honor and allowance to care for and support these families, especially at such vulnerable moments.

For the surgery, the mother and vertebrate were given general anesthesia, and blue blood the gentry part of the fetus’ body locale the tumor is attached was 1 out of the uterus. Surgeons run away with removed as much of the promote as possible before returning the craniate to the womb. The team drawn-out to monitor the mother over description course of her pregnancy to guarantee that no further problems occurred until she delivered at 36 weeks.

“It’s an bless and privilege to care for post support these families, especially at much vulnerable moments,” Olutoye said. “I’m beautiful forward to opportunities that allow nearby to care for even more line and have an impact. As splurge as we take it one submissive at a time, and help gorilla many as we can, we receptacle help society at large.”

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