MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY
Making history: Memorial alumnus first Black president of Canadian Medical Association

Memorial alumnus Dr. Boluwaji Ogunyemi will experience two firsts in May.

He will be the first Memorial University Faculty of Medicine graduate to become president-elect of the Canadian Medical Association. He will also become the first Black president in the association's 158-year history.

Dr. Boluwaji Ogunyemi receiving his 2019 Alumni Tribute Award from Dr. Margaret Steele, the former dean of the Faculty of Medicine. Photo: supplied

Dr. Ogunyemi (Dip. in Clinical Epidemiology '09, MD'13) says he is excited about the opportunity.

"I intend to advocate for healthier communities and unite our profession while sparking a national conversation about improving health care," he said.

Dr. Ogunyemi will talk about his story and perspectives on leadership and advocacy, African history and liberation events with Dr. Delores V. Mullings, vice-provost equity, diversity, inclusion and anti-racism, on Thursday, Feb. 6, in The Landing, University Centre and online, as part of Black History Month. All are welcome but registration is required.

A family of firsts

Dr. Ogunyemi is familiar with trailblazing.

Arriving in Newfoundland and Labrador as a child from Nigeria in the late 1980s with his parents and older brother, they were one of the first African families to call this province home.

His entrepreneurial mother opened one of the first stores for African hair accessories in Newfoundland and Labrador; his father was the first epilepsy specialist here.

"The medicine profession must meet the changing needs of our increasingly diverse population." Dr. Boluwaji Ogunyemi

In his career as a physician, Dr. Ogunyemi established a regular visiting specialist clinic shortly after completing his post-residency training and continues to see patients in Labrador City every few months.

And as the inaugural assistant dean of social accountability at Memorial's Faculty of Medicine, he worked with Indigenous communities, addressing racism in health care and acknowledging the importance of health equity.

Dermatological diversity

His decision to specialize in dermatology reflects his lived experience and pioneering nature.

"I saw a gap in Canada in terms of different skin types being left out in dermatological training doctors have traditionally been taught to look for redness as a sign of skin irritation, which leads to certain disorders being misdiagnosed in dark skin," he explained. "The medicine profession must meet the changing needs of our increasingly diverse population."

The president of the Canadian Medical Association, elected by members from a different province or territory every year, is the primary spokesperson for the association's work and represents the organization in the media as well as to provincial and territorial medical associations, government and other partner organizations.

Dr. Ogunyemi says he understands the surprise some have expressed to him upon learning that the first Black president of the Canadian Medical Association would call Newfoundland and Labrador home.

"I think it reflects a few things . . . first of all, how welcoming this province has been to me. Further, it shows that while individuals from all over this country increasingly come from different backgrounds, we must realize that we are more alike than different. The Canadian Medical Association represents all Canadian doctors and the communities we serve and I will advocate for issues from coast to coast to coast."

Advocate and inspirational speaker

In addition to his reputation as a clinician and teacher, Dr. Ogunyemi speaks and advocates at the intersections of health policy, diversity and leadership, and regularly contributes to issues related to diversity and inclusion, social justice and medicine, for mainstream media including the CBC and the Globe and Mail.

He has received numerous awards and honours to date, including the 2019 Alumni Horizon Award for Outstanding Alumni Under the Age of 35.

"I believe that we can adopt this Afro-centric reverence for older persons which could drive important change." Dr. Boluwaji Ogunyemi

His TEDx talk, Edge Effect: Different Perspectives Yield Creativity, Innovation details how, as an undergraduate science student at Western University, he was awakened to a different, wider perspective after taking a sociology course.

"It made me more aware of how various factors affect social and economic inequality and introduced me to concepts like social structure and individual agency," said Dr. Ogunyemi, adding that understanding politics and how health systems are funded is essential to advancing health policy.

"That foundation in humanities has made me a better doctor today."

Science and art in harmony

He views science and art as two different arenas that can enhance each other, with cross-pollination from different perspectives sparking collaboration and the potential for innovation.

Travel is another source of inspiration.

While he has travelled extensively, his favourite destination is Nigeria, his parents' homeland.

He says there is much of Afro-centric wisdom to be gleaned in the country.

"Sometimes a Western perspective on elder care is that older populations are seen as a burden. In contrast, in many African cultures, the elderly are treated with great dignity. Elder care must remain a health and social policy priority and I believe that we can adopt this Afro-centric reverence for older persons which could drive important change in this area."