Dr. Olusola Oyemade MD, MPH, F.A.AP – A Doctor & a fine Gentleman

Dr. Olusola Oyemade has spent the last 50 years of his life taking care of children. However, his upright gait, cadence of speech and youthful vigor belies his age. You can walk away in an encounter with him believing that he is just in his early sixties.

Dr. Oyemade graduated from the University Of Edinburgh, Scotland in 1967. He completed a residency at Children’s Hospital, Buffalo, New York. He is board-certified in pediatrics and he served his fellowship in pediatric nephrology at Georgetown University Medical School, Washington, DC.In addition, Dr. Oyemade holds a Master’s Degree in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland

He currently practices as a Pediatrician at Olusola Oyemade MD Inc. in Rancho Cucamonga, California. He is affiliated with San Antonio Regional Hospital, Upland and Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center, Pomona, California

Dr. Oyemade is a proud Recipient of the Patients’ Choice Award, 2008, the Compassionate Doctor Recognition, 2009–2012, & the 2013 Humanitarian Health Services, San Antonio Community Hospital,

In this interview with our Publisher, Dr. Oyemade talks about his growing up years, his 50 years of practice, his family and his hopes and dreams for the future:

Please tell us about your earliest memories as a child, growing up in Lagos Nigeria?

I was born in Lagos at the Massey Maternity Hospital, where the late Dr. Majekodunmi delivered me.
At the time, my dad was a post office worker during WWII, deciphering the Morse code messages.

My mother was a school teacher at Anglican Girls’ School where she taught students such as the future Nigeria President Chief Sonekan, Professor Olukayode Oyediran, and other well-known Nigerians.
Lagos was a quiet town in those days. Growing up in the Onola area in central Lagos was unique. The field was the site of several political rallies, addressed by famous names such as Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Herbert Macaulay, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe and Mazi Mbonu Ojike.It was thrilling to stand by our balcony and watch as these politicians delivered historic speeches.

Where did you obtain your primary and secondary education and what life lessons did you learn in those years?

I went to Primary School at St. Peter’s Faji, Lagos, from where I proceeded to King’s College, Lagos (K.C.). Those days were pivotal in my formative years. The legendary fame of K.C. is well known and the discipline and leadership skills I learned there have been the bastion of my career. The experience certainly has helped me in pursuing my career. It was the pre-independence era, and we were going to be the future leaders.

At what point in your life did you decide that you were going to be a doctor and what motivated that? Which medical schools did you attend before settling down to practice?

As far as I can remember, I decided I wanted to become a doctor at the age of 6 years. My dad had just returned from the UK as a lawyer and I wanted to balance this by becoming a doctor. Hence, even though I had better grades in History, Literature, and Geography, I was hell bent on pursuing the more difficult Science subjects as well as math.
I took Science subjects in “A” Levels at Taunton School, Taunton, Somerset in England, and proceeded to Edinburgh University in Scotland, which I chose because of its historic prestige as a medical institution. You might recall that Edinburgh Medical School is the second oldest such school in the world.

Please tell us a little about your early years in medical practice and where did you practice in those years?

As soon as I graduated from Edinburgh in 1967, I came to the U.S. to start my internship and residency. Those were exciting times: a) Civil rights protests were in full swing and as a young man I wanted to be part of that historic movement for blacks. b) Independence movements were in full swing throughout Africa and President Kennedy inspired many of us. c) The prospects of better professional opportunities were very attractive to me, much to the chagrin of my parents; the common adage then was that American education was inferior!
I completed my internship at the Genesee Hospital, Rochester, NY, and my residency in Pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital, Buffalo, NY.

I proceeded to Johns Hopkins University in 1970 to obtain my Masters Degree in Public Health, after which I underwent a Fellowship in Pediatric Nephrology at Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.

My greatest ambition at the time was to become the Deputy Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO). I actually requested and got to stay with and understudy the then Deputy Director General, Professor Adeoye Lambo.

My first jobs were as Assistant Professor atMeharry and Vanderbilt University Medical Schools, Tennessee. After one year, I accepted a similar offer at Howard University Medical School, Washington D.C. where I also served as the Director of Ambulatory Pediatrics from 1973-1977. During this time I had the singular privilege of organizing the children’s outpatient department of the then new building of Howard University Hospital.

You went back to practice in Nigeria in the 1970s/80s??? and had a stint teaching medicine in the University of Jos.
What experiences did you have in those years and what motivated you to come back to America?

I went back to Nigeria because in those days you went abroad to achieve the “golden fleece” and came back home to serve your country. Also, I returned for family reasons. I wanted to return to be with my parents who had sacrificed a lot on my behalf.

I taught at the University of Ibadan as a Senior Lecturer and worked as a Consultant at the University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan from 1977-1983. It was a rewarding and bittersweet experience because I learnt a lot but regretfully came to the conclusion that I could not contribute much to health care in the country, given the lackadaisical approach of the authorities to solidify the health care system.

Time has proven me right in that the health system has continued to deteriorate to deplorable levels.

At UCH, we had a thriving Pediatric Faculty with various specialties well represented. There was so much to be done but little motivation to do it, for example, as a Pediatric Nephrologist; I did not have access to Electron Microscopy and Fluoroscopic examinations of biopsy specimens. Thus, academic progress depended on writing flimsy papers. That was the key to my decision to return to the United States. In addition, when I tried to apply for the position of Professor at the University of Jos I was essentially informed that expatriates were preferred to any indigenous professional.

One of the unintended results of my sojourn in Nigeria was the apparent influence I had on several of my former students at the University of Ibadan to come to the US for their postgraduate training. It is a source of joy and pride for me to see a large number of these former students flourish in their various specialties and subspecialties all over the best medical institutions in the US.

Tell us a little bit about your family, your children and your lost loves? (you can rephrase this question if you are not comfortable sharing your lost loves with our readers}

I am happily married to my lovely wife Buky, nee Ogunpola, who is an Educator of 27 years with the State of California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

I have five children and thank God they are all well and are successful in their careers.

Adewale, my oldest son, is a child Psychiatrist practicing in
New Orleans, having graduated from UCLA and Howard University.
Oluwatoyin who graduated from Northwestern University in Chicago earned a Master’s Degree from Claremont Graduate College, Claremont, CA, is a math teacher in the Los Angeles School District.

Oluwakemi graduated from the University of Southern California’s (USC) Marshall School of Business and is now working in an Arbitrator’s office in Los Angeles.

Adeola, who also graduated from USC, is the Regional Accounts Manager for All State Insurance’s South Eastern U.S. for the Nissan Division.Opeyemi, my stepson who is in his final year of college
makes the family complete.
Your late father, the late Justice Oyemade was revered as Chief Justice of the old Western Region because of his sterling character. his uprightness, his honesty and dedication to duty as a Judge. Please tell us about this great man and the lessons you learnt from him and the legacy his left behind.

All I can say about my father is the old adage “A Good Name is better than all the gold in the world”. He was a quintessential man of honor, who valued his name and his dignity more than anything else. He was incorruptible. He was my hero, my friend and my mentor. I am sure he must be rolling in his grave when he observes the present state of the judiciary! He and my mother were a team that raised a very successful family.I have four sisters, all of whom are college educated, one a doctor, another, a lawyer and banker,
the third a graduate of the University of Lagos, and the fourth who graduated from the University of York, England. I believe we have all been able to carry on the legacy of my parents and have successfully inculcated these virtues into our children.

Two examples stand out in my memory: The first occurred when I was a teenager in high school and I came home on vacation. A visitor came to the house while my parents were out. He left me some yams, chickens, and gari to give my dad. When they returned, I gave the message to my dad. I also gave him the name of the individual. He said he did not know who it was. My dad admonished me never to accept any gift that anybody brought while they were not home.

Next day, it turned out this fellow had a case in court before him. The poor guy was ordered to come and take his gifts and was cited with “contempt of court”. A second incident, which made a deep impression on me, was when he had just been appointed Chief Justice of Western Region, Nigeria. We were talking in his library when he showed me a pile of letters, one of which came from the manager of one of the big
banks in Ibadan. Briefly stated, the manager congratulated him on his appointment, and then offered to help him develop any property he wished to develop. My dad had filed the letter away and his
comment was “If I took up this offer, what will I do if this man were to appear before me in Court?”

I could give further instances but those instances made a deep impression on me in terms of my approach to life. He always advised me that when two people were fighting and come to you with their problems, always listen to both sides before jumping to conclusion. This has been a keystone of my life.

What year did you start your private practice in Rancho Cucamonga and waht impact has Olusola Oyemade MD Inc. made since it began practice in the community

I started my pediatric practice in August 1987 in Rancho Cucamonga, California, which at that time was “the boonies”. I think the impact of my pediatric practice on the community in essence and my work in the community can be gauged by random acts of recognition and appreciation shown by members of the community. I feel honored when I see the number of parents who have stayed with my practice since the birth of their children. More so, when these children, now in their 20’s and 30’s bring their town children to me. The practice sometimes feels like one big happy family.

I was a foundation member of the Association of Nigerian Physicians in the Americas (ANPA). In the past 21 years, ANPA has blossomed into the major representatives of Nigerian doctors in the diaspora.

I have been a member of the medical team, which has undertaken several medical missions offering free medical services to the needy in various parts of Nigeria over the past several years. The missions have had a tremendously positive impact on the local population.

Please tell us about your darling wife!
My Dear Wife, Buky, has been a source of support and inspiration to me, especially being a steady hand in our partnership. I am indeed quite grateful for her presence in my life.

What advise will you give a new immigrant from Africa about settling down in America and achieving success?
This is my message to the new young immigrant coming from Africa, in just a few words: focus on your plan, work hard, and avoid bad company and success will be yours.

When your work is done, how would you want Dr. Olusola Oyemade to be remembered?

Wow, my epitaph:
I would like to be remembered as a hard-working man who really cared and loved his children and family; a doctor who cared immensely about his patients; a man of integrity and honesty that cherished his friends.