My Dedication To Become A Pathologist

“It is only when you understand the pathology of an organ that you can truly appreciate its physiologic functions”. Those words belong to my pathology professor in medical school. When I started medical school, I had a firm interest in diagnostic medicine, but I was not quite sure which specialty I wanted. Upon commencement of my clinical clerkships, I felt most at home in pathology. During my pathology rotation, I attended a variety of cases encompassing both anatomic and clinical pathology. Assisting in autopsies renewed my understanding of the role the pathologist plays as a diagnostician not only in living patients, but also in deceased subjects. This invaluable experience taught me that discovering what killed a patient may be just as important as diagnosing a living patient.

In order to prepare myself adequately for pathology residency and life as a pathologist, I have spent the last 15 months as a fellow in clinical chemistry division, pathology department here at University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), Galveston. During this time, I have gained significant experience working on the bench, understanding methods for lab tests, investigating problematic test results, interpreting specialized tests, making recommendations and co-coordinating with physicians when necessary. Attending diagnostic management team (DMT) meetings daily, where I interact closely with some of the brightest minds in pathology and other fields of medicine, has helped to greatly improve my critical thinking capabilities and shaped my thought process and approach to diagnosing medical conditions. As we gradually head towards the era of “personalized medicine”, I believe that pathologists hold the key and must fully take the wheel and lead medicine from the laboratory. Therefore, I seek a program that is actively striving to re-position pathology as a leading specialty in patient care by promoting interaction with patients and other physicians. I am thrilled about the DMT’s at UTMB and I firmly believe this is the direction pathology should go in the long term. I believe that your residency program has everything I am looking for to enable me thrive as an excellent pathologist-in-training.

In the pursuit of my dreams, I have had many setbacks, but my determination remains stronger than ever. In the past six years, I have been kidnapped in my home country, Nigeria, my father murdered and my mum killed in a car crash. Despite the shock of these events, I have kept my head up, stayed resilient and my determination has always seen me through the worst moments of my life. If accepted into your esteemed residency program, I will bring with me a wealth of knowledge and experience in laboratory medicine and a great relationship with your current residents and faculty. These I believe will help me transition smoothly into my role as a resident at UTMB, without requiring any time to adjust to my new environment. With all of these qualities, I believe that I will be a very dedicated and diligent pathologist who would provide excellent quality of care to my patients.