Nigeria, Masters in Tropical Paediatrics
Recipient of the Thomas Mark Scholarship
“I was the doctor on call on the night shift, when a small child of about 6 years was rushed in. He had been involved in a road traffic accident and was bleeding profusely with a severely mangled right leg. When I received the results for his blood work, my six-year old patient who was barely hanging on for life, was HIV positive with severe anaemia, probably due to nutritional deficiency. The sad part was his parents who were also retroviral positive were unaware and not on any medications. That day, though scary and confusing, was a defining moment in my career. At that point, I realised that I wanted to improve my knowledge and skills in paediatrics and I applied for a Masters Scholarship at LSTM. My time there has perked my interest in research, which will be useful when I return to practice in Nigeria, especially now that evidence-based medicine is seriously advocated”