Olujimi A. Ajijola M.D. Ph.D.
Co-Director, UCLA-Caltech Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP)
Associate Professor of Medicine
Associate Director, UCLA Cardiac Arrhythmia Center & EP Programs
Director, Neurocardiology Research Program
UCLA Cardiac Arrhythmia Center
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Friday, December 1, 2023
5pm-6:30pm PST
Click on the YouTube link below to view this webinar. Once you have viewed the presentation, you can log back in and take the Quiz for this event. A score of 70% or above will earn you a Certificate for 2 hours of Medical Mentorship.
Workshop Description:
PreMed students at community colleges and universities often face uncertainty in navigating the complex path to a medical career. Our event aims to demystify this journey by featuring Dr. Olujimi A. Ajijola, a physician-scientist with an extraordinary career trajectory that began at a community college. A leader in cardiac electrophysiology and the UCLA-Caltech Medical Scientist Training Program, Dr. Ajijola’s work combines clinical practice and cutting-edge research. With accolades like the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award, he exemplifies academic and professional excellence. This workshop will offer unparalleled insights into MD/PhD programs, spotlighting their multidisciplinary and specialized nature. Dr. Ajijola will share his experiences, from early education to groundbreaking research on neural circuits affecting the heart. Participants will gain valuable advice on various career paths, skill development, and academic planning. Moreover, the event will showcase how what MSTP programs look for in their applicants. Dr. Ajijola’s story serves as an inspiring testament, challenging the stereotype that community colleges are a limiting starting point. The session will also highlight his advocacy for diversity in medicine, offering a well-rounded narrative for aspiring medical professionals.
About the Speaker:
Olujimi A. Ajijola, M.D., Ph.D. serves as the Associate Director of the UCLA Cardiac Arrhythmia Center & EP Programs. He directs the Neurocardiology Research Program and co-directs the UCLA-Caltech Medical Scientist Training Program. He is an Associate Professor of Medicine-Cardiology and Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Physiology.
His laboratory studies the peripheral neural circuits that regulate the heart, utilizing cutting edge electrophysiologic, genetic, optical, and computational tools to examine how myocardial infarction structurally and functionally perturbs the sympathetic nervous system and how this dysregulation drives arrhythmogenesis and sudden cardiac death risk. Clinically, he is an interventional cardiac electrophysiologist with expertise in a broad range of heart rhythm disorders.
Dr. Ajijola started his educational journey at J. Sergeant Reynolds’s Community College in Richmond, VA, and subsequently received his B.A. with Distinction from the University of Virginia, his medical degree from Duke University, and his Ph.D. in Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Physiology from UCLA as part of the STAR program. His clinical training in internal medicine and Cardiology/Cardiac Electrophysiology were performed at the Massachusetts General Hospital and at UCLA, respectively. He is also an alumnus of the National Academies’ New Voices Program a recipient of the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award (DP2), the Jeremiah Stamler Young Investigator Award. He was elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation in 2023. He is currently a sitting member of the National Academies’ Roundtable on Black Men and Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine. He is a nationally recognized advocate for medical and physician-scientist training, recently receiving the Chan Zuckerberg Science Diversity Leadership Award for these efforts.
View for Free:
Topic: The Road to MD/PhD Excellence: Insights from UCLA-Caltech Program Director
When: Friday, Dec 1, 5:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
YouTube link:
