Adeyemi Oduwole has plenty of options. Any path he chooses will be bright — and focused on saving and changing countless people’s lives. But for right now, he’s not sure what, exactly, that will look like.
Oduwole has finished his undergraduate studies at the College of Charleston and is now back in his hometown, New York City, for graduate school at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Graduate School of Biomedical Science, preparing for a career at the forefront of treatment and research.
For now, Oduwole is just measuring what the next move in his life will be. Will he go into medical genetics? Will he work with different children? Will he focus on research or treatment of COVID positive patients? Whatever he decides, he is determined to be a source of education for future generations.
“I’m not sure where my focus will be,” Oduwole says. “I want to continue doing research and have the ability to apply it to my future patients. Research has been a big presence in my life, and I want to continue participating and advocating for that. But I want to figure out what I want to do before I commit to one specialty. I’ve been shadowing different doctors and learning a lot from different fields, which has confirmed that I want to do this full time.”
Much of Oduwole’s life has been dedicated to genetic research. Oduwole jumpstarted his career as a Scientific Researcher and Contributor in National Geographic, NASA, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) projects. Oduwole is currently working alongside public health experts and epidemiologists on controlled human infection models (CHIMs) proposed as a strategy for accelerating SARS-CoV-2 vaccine development. Having started his research at such a young age, Oduwole has been honored with strong recognition and accolades.
Oduwole’s research and personal story have garnered some him public and media attention. In 2019, he gave a Ted Talk on the College of Charleston’s campus that received national attention, and he was later nominated to the “FORBES list- 30 under 30, where the young, creative, and bold minds on this year’s list prove that the future will be new, exciting, and profoundly different. These entrepreneurs are teaching viruses to fight cancer, developing technology to help astronauts breathe on Mars, and creating strings of hit songs that fuel our daily playlists, and that’s just a few. Harnessing expert community, robust reporting, vigorous vetting, and the world’s top investors and entrepreneurs’ wisdom, they evaluated more than 15,000 nominees. The final product: 600 revolutionaries in 20 industries changing the course— and the face— of business, technology, science, and society.
“The research I’ve participated in requires immense amounts of hard work and sacrifice over the years, so it’s great being recognized on the same platform as other millennial scientists,” Oduwole said.
Oduwole undoubtedly contributes to making life as we know it, better. Being back in New York City has inspired him to reach out to communities in the Big Apple that are underserved and haven’t traditionally been given the resources they need.
“Through these projects, I am honored to inspire and act as an influence towards the next generation of kids interested in pursuing careers in research, medicine, science, technology, engineering, and math,” Oduwole said.
You can keep up with Oduwole and his future endeavors at adeyablo.
