April 21, 2025 • 27 mins
Check our Dr. Oyetoran's youtube channel Journey to MD!
What happens when a determined young girl from Nigeria declares she wants to be a doctor? Dr. Anu Oyetoran's extraordinary journey takes us across continents—from West Africa to Canada, the Caribbean, New York, and finally Florida—where she now serves as chief medical resident at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine.
Beyond her impressive credentials lies a story of remarkable adaptability. Moving to Canada at age 12, Dr. Oyetoran recalls how her accent immediately set her apart, forcing her to develop self-confidence and resilience—qualities that would serve her well throughout medical training. Rather than viewing her numerous relocations as hardships, she embraces them as opportunities for growth and connection, a perspective that has carried her through the demanding years of residency.
Dr. Oyetoran speaks candidly about the challenges of intern year—those grueling 14-hour days in the ICU that test even the most dedicated physicians—and how faith and family support sustained her through the toughest moments. Now, on the cusp of completing her internal medicine residency, she's preparing for a highly competitive fellowship in hematology-oncology, a specialty she chose precisely because it's difficult. Her eyes light up when discussing emerging cancer treatments like CAR T-cell therapy and her hope to someday contribute to finding a cure.
Her dedication extends beyond clinical practice through "Journey to MD," her YouTube channel created to guide aspiring medical professionals through challenges she had to navigate alone. Dr. Oyetoran promises new videos soon, hoping to demystify residency and fellowship experiences for the next generation.
Throughout our conversation, one theme remains constant: Dr. Oyetoran views medicine as a calling—an opportunity to be a light for patients facing their darkest moments. Her story reminds us that behind every white coat is a human being whose unique experiences shape their approach to healing.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Ashley (00:01):
Hello and welcome to Shadow Me Next, a podcast where
I take you into and behind thescenes of the medical world to
provide you with a deeperunderstanding of the human side
of medicine.
I'm Ashley, a physicianassistant, medical editor,
clinical preceptor and thecreator of Shadow Me Next.
It is my pleasure to introduceyou to incredible members of the
(00:22):
healthcare field and uncovertheir unique stories.
The healthcare field anduncover their unique stories,
the joys and challenges theyface and what drives them in
their careers.
It's access you want andstories you need, whether you're
a pre-health student or simplycurious about the healthcare
field.
I invite you to join me as wetake a conversational and
personal look into the lives andminds of leaders in medicine.
(00:44):
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conversations, so make sure thatyou subscribe to this podcast,
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Me Next, where we will reviewhighlights from this
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upcoming guests.
And where I'll give you sneakpreviews of our upcoming guests.
(01:05):
Today, I'm joined by a physicianleader and passionate lifelong
learner, dr Anu Oyetoran.
She's currently serving aschief medical resident at the
University of Central FloridaCollege of Medicine, where she's
also completing her internalmedicine residency.
But what truly stands out aboutDr Oyetoran isn't just her
(01:26):
title or her clinical expertise.
It's her deep-rooted drive togrow, inspire and uplift those
around her.
In this episode she takes us ona journey that spans continents
from Nigeria to Canada, theCaribbean, new York and now
Florida, sharing how each moveshaped her resilience and her
(01:48):
adaptability.
She opens up about thechallenges of medical training,
the transformational experienceof intern year and her unmatched
excitement about what's next afellowship in hematology and
oncology.
We also dive into her creativeside as the voice behind Journey
to MD, her YouTube channel,which offers transparent and
(02:11):
encouraging guidance to aspiringmedical professionals, and she
shares how her family faith andcalling to be a light during
some of life's darkest momentshave fueled her passion to serve
, lead and one day contribute tothe cure for cancer.
Please keep in mind that thecontent of this podcast is
(02:31):
intended for informational andentertainment purposes only and
should not be considered asprofessional medical advice.
The views and opinionsexpressed in this podcast are
those of the host and guests anddo not necessarily reflect the
official policy or position ofany other agency, organization,
employer or company.
This is Shadow Me Next with DrAnu Oyetoran.
(02:55):
Hi, dr Oyetoran.
Thank you so much for joiningus on this podcast.
Before we even get started,full disclosure.
I met her when she rotatedthrough our office, so I know
you personally and what apresence you are.
I remember the first time Ieven saw you and watched you
interact with my colleagues.
(03:15):
I thought to myself oh my gosh,I have got to have her on the
podcast.
So this is like a dream cometrue.
Thank you so much for joiningus today.
Oh wow.
Dr. Oyetoran (03:24):
That's so sweet.
Thank you for saying that.
Hi, ashley, I'm glad to be here.
Thank you for inviting me.
Ashley (03:30):
You have such an amazing journey from the very beginning
, and where you're going afterthis is just going to be
incredible.
We have so many fun things totalk about.
When that happens, I usuallythink it's great to just start
at the beginning.
So take us way back and tell usa little bit about what
inspired you initially toconsider a career in medicine.
Dr. Oyetoran (03:53):
Yeah, I've always known that I wanted to go into
medicine.
For me it really was when I wasmaybe seven or eight, and what
happened was my best friend atthe time said she wanted to
become a pediatrician.
And so therefore, because she'smy best friend, I also decided
I wanted to become apediatrician as well.
But that was that was childish,and as I grew older I started
(04:16):
leaning more into the sciences,the biology.
I enjoyed anatomy, all of theseaspects of it, and so that just
became clearer for me.
It wasn't just because mychildhood best friend had said
it.
So I was very clear on medicinebecoming it.
I'm also full disclosure.
I'm Nigerian, which is in WestAfrica, and so once you say to
(04:37):
your parents that you want tobecome a physician, they hold
you to it.
They don't force you.
They don't push you.
At least my parents didn't.
There are some people whothat's their story, but that's
not mine.
But they definitely encouragedme and they were a huge part of
why I was able to achieve thisdream of mine.
And through high school, I movedactually from Nigeria to Canada
(04:58):
in high school and basicallystill realized that the passion
was still there, even though Ihad changed environments and
whatnot, and I even throughouthigh school.
Towards the end of high school I, my mom, found this school
called St George's University,and it was a Caribbean school
that offered a pre-med to medprogram.
(05:19):
And because I was so sure andusually the process is you do
four years of undergrad, thenyou stop and work we were in
Canada at that point in time youfinish your undergrad, then you
take the MCAT and then youapply to med school, and that
process can take anywhere fromeight years to however many
years it takes for things towork out.
(05:39):
And so we decided to go aheadand take that pre-med to med
path and it took me about sixand a half years with that.
So I caught up about a year anda half and so I went to med
school in the Caribbean StGeorge's University and from med
school in the Caribbean I wasthere for about four years of my
(05:59):
life, and Grenada is such abeautiful country I definitely
I've not had the opportunity tovisit again, but I definitely do
and so from there I did myclinicals in New York and New
Jersey, and then the pandemichappened, so I went back home
for a couple of months and nowI'm here in Gainesville doing my
resident.
Ashley (06:20):
That's an incredible journey, not just a metaphorical
journey through all of theschooling that you had to do and
the decisions, really, that youand your parents together were
blessed and were able to make,but just geographically, from
Nigeria to Canada, to Grenada,to New York, new Jersey, and now
you're in Florida and you'retaking another step.
After this, you've matched at aprogram that is not any of
(06:43):
those locations.
Were those moves hard for you?
Is this something that you justcount as part of your story and
you've used it to youradvantage, or were those really
difficult transitions?
Dr. Oyetoran (06:57):
That's a very good question.
I would say yes and no.
The initial one, from Nigeriato Canada, was definitely tough.
I was 12 at that time and Idon't think I fully understood
what was happening, but I knewsomething had changed and having
an accent, all of these thingsplayed a huge role into how I
(07:17):
realized I was different fromeveryone else around me, and
really just that whole journeytaught me to be confident in
myself, build self-reliance,adaptability as well, which I
think are skills that you needin any aspect of healthcare that
you go into, and so thatprobably was the toughest one.
Going from Canada to Grenadawas tough, but it wasn't too bad
(07:41):
because I already had theskills that I built before, and
so the other moves weren't toobad.
I actually see them as newopportunities for growth, to
meet more people, to expand mynetwork, and I always tell
myself every time I've moved ithas been for something better.
It's always just exciting forme to see what's coming next.
Ashley (08:00):
I love so much what you just said when you mentioned
that with your accent, and whenyou move to these new places and
realizing that you aredifferent and you are growing in
that confidence andself-reliance and adaptability,
and I think that is what hasmade you so relatable and I
applaud you.
And I think this is somethingthat we don't talk a lot about
(08:21):
specifically in becoming amedical doctor is how many moves
there are.
You might be able to tell mehow many of your colleagues
perhaps went to pre-med and thenmedical school and then
residency and then theirfellowship, all in the same
location.
I can't imagine that's verycommon.
Dr. Oyetoran (08:40):
It's not.
It's very dynamic and, yeah, Idon't think I know of anyone who
was able to somehow accomplishall four of those stages that
you outlined in one place Veryrare.
So you have to be very willingand to move and very adaptable
as well.
Ashley (08:57):
Thank you so much for sharing that story and
highlighting that that's notsomething we've talked about
before, and I think it's one ofthe things that makes matching
out of medical school and thenmatching again once you're in
residency, if you have theopportunity to do that it's.
What makes it so exciting isthat it is a new adventure, but
at the same time, I can'timagine being in that position
and realizing that you are aboutto uproot the life that you've
(09:17):
developed right there for thelast however many years and
start anew, which is holy moly.
That must be overwhelming, andit's just an element of what you
face as a physician and as aresident.
Speaking of which, tell us alittle bit about what you face
as a resident.
You are currently an internalmedicine resident here in town,
and then you have some prettyexciting next steps, but tell us
(09:40):
about your residency right nowand the fact that you're a chief
resident.
Dr. Oyetoran (09:43):
Yes, residency so far has been great.
The first year is always thetoughest, no matter what
residency you do, because goingfrom med school to the real
world is just night and day.
Of course, med school tries itsbest to prepare you for what
you meet out there.
What you read on the books isnever what you read in real life
, and so the first year wastough.
(10:05):
But most people and this is myexperience as well if you get
through that, then you're setfor the rest of residence.
Intern year was hard.
We do a lot of ICU, which islong hours 12 to 13, 14 hours a
day A lot of wards as well,which is the bread and butter of
internal medicine.
But past that, I'm currently inmy 30 and I'm at the point
(10:27):
where I feel very comfortableand confident in anything.
I'm supposed to be anindependent practitioner in
about three months and I feellike my residency has really
prepared me for that.
I feel very ready, veryconfident about that.
In my case, I'm going intofellowship and I believe I don't
know if we've mentioned itbefore but I'm going into
hematology oncology, which isblood and cancer medicine, and
(10:50):
for that you need a goodbackground in internal medicine.
It's a backbone of hematology,oncology, so I feel very
prepared going into it veryexcited.
It's been a dream of mine for awhile to go into hemong.
Ashley (11:04):
Oh I bet, how did you feel when you matched into
hematology oncology?
Dr. Oyetoran (11:10):
So hematology, or hematology oncology, is one of
the hardest specialties ininternal medicine to match into.
There are a couple that are alittle bit tougher, like GI and
cardiology, but I was shocked.
I was incredibly shocked.
I actually had my sister readthe email to me because I
couldn't open it myself and sherecorded my reaction.
(11:32):
And it's just my jaw droppedbecause, although you know I had
worked hard for this and I'm aChristian so I've prayed hard
for it as well Just the realityof it and seeing all of it just
come to pass and really justhappen was very incredible and
just exciting.
I can't.
I wish I could capture thatfeeling in a bottle and just
(11:53):
have it at my bedside and openit every morning.
Ashley (11:55):
Oh, wouldn't that be amazing.
Dr Oyetoran, you have mentionedfamily so many times already
and, of course, now you'vebrought up faith and tell me a
little bit about what family andfaith mean to you and how they
get you through.
Dr. Oyetoran (12:11):
I think that family is everything.
I take credit for how far I'vecome.
I've worked hard for everythingthat I've achieved, but a huge
part of that is my family aswell.
I have very supportive parentsand my siblings.
They've been very supportivethroughout this journey, and
this journey is hard to do alone.
Going through medicine alone isjust a very tough thing to do
(12:32):
and some people have to do it bythemselves and I salute them.
But I'm grateful that I had myfamily to lean on for support.
For those nights where I neededto just vent or cry or something
was tough or bothering me, Icould just pick up the phone,
call my dad, my mom or I havethree sisters, so I could call
any one of them and just talk tothem.
(12:53):
And for me, faith is the sameway.
I believe in God and the factthat we're here for a reason,
and I think, in that perspective, just going along that line,
that medicine in many ways is acalling, because see the
intimate aspect of humanity, yousee a lot of people at their
lowest point and to be able tobe a light in that way is just
(13:15):
something that I hold so dear.
And also my faith hasdefinitely supported me through
this, knowing that I have a Godthat I can depend on as well,
and that everything is workingtogether for my good, whether it
be the way I want it to or theway I don't want it to.
Just having that and knowingthat is very helpful.
Ashley (13:33):
That's so true, and even if it's not the way you want it
to work out, god is still goodand he has a good plan, and I
think you probably end up sayingthat a lot more when you're in
medical training.
Medicine is a calling.
You mentioned the intimateaspects of humanity and being a
light for some of these patientsin many of their lowest points
in their lives.
Do you think all of this hascontributed to your interest in
(13:57):
hematology?
Oncology, you mentioned it isone of the most difficult
fellowships to pursue afterinternal medicine.
So you know you're not choosingit because it's easy.
I'd venture to say you'reprobably choosing it because
it's hard.
Dr. Oyetoran (14:11):
Yes, that's definitely one of the big things
for me.
It's a tough specialty, becausethe people who will be ending
up in my office are people whohave heard the word cancer and
it not just being applied insome generic term, but really it
being applied to them and thatword is heavy and being somebody
that can be a light and notjust a light in terms of being a
(14:33):
support emotionally, but alsoknowing the medicine and knowing
how we can hopefully in somecases treat and potentially cure
some of these cancers to me isjust everything.
That's one of the big reasons Iwent into this specialty and
the fact that there's a lot ofresearch that's going into it,
and I would love to contributein some way to that to finding
(14:57):
some sort of cure or answer forthis question of cancer.
Ashley (15:03):
That brings me to a burning question that I've been
wanting to ask you.
But before I say that, I justwant to highlight the fact that
everybody in medicine andprobably even many people not in
medicine everyone wants to finda cure for cancer, right?
But what is so difficult isbeing in the room with those
(15:23):
patients when they find out thediagnosis of cancer, and that is
as a Hemonc physician.
That's where you're going to bemost of the time.
Finding a cure is amazing andwe're always going to be
fighting for those cures andtrying to get those patients to
that point.
But so much of that time isgoing to be spent in the
(15:43):
trenches with them and I'm justI'm so comforted, I have so much
hope, knowing that yourstrength will be their strength
in that time.
And it takes a special personto work in Hemonc, and I'm so
grateful that you've chosen thatcareer, because we need you in
it.
Dr. Oyetoran (16:02):
I appreciate that.
Ashley (16:03):
Thank you for saying that.
No, it's true.
So let's go back to the burningquestion.
So you mentioned research andwanting to really impact that
cure and finding that cure.
Have you done research?
I'm sure you have, so tell us alittle bit about research
you've done in the past.
Has it been something thatyou've enjoyed?
And what's next in the futureof oncology or hematology
oncology, what are we expectingto see?
Dr. Oyetoran (16:24):
I have done research in the capacity of case
reports where we see somethingthat is new or different from
the norm.
Let's say a certain cancerpresents a certain way or we
treated it a little bit out ofthe norm and got a good result.
Those type of cases we publishas case reports.
Also been involved inretrospective studies where we
(16:47):
look at we have the outcome.
Let's say somebody was on acertain medication and we look
back and see what the exposurewas that gave that outcome, and
so those are retrospectivestudies and we do a lot of them
as residents.
It's hard to do prospectiveones or clinical trials.
Just given the way my programis set up and just the time that
(17:07):
we have in residency, it's notenough time to really be able to
set up for clinical trials tosee if this certain intervention
gives a certain results withcertain types of cancer.
I do enjoy doing research.
I think when you can contributesomething to the body of
knowledge that's out there, thenI'm doing something positive to
(17:30):
affect the flow positivelytowards potentially finding a
cure for cancer.
In terms of what do I think isnext in oncology I've seen CAR T
cell therapy Right now we have,I mean there are a lot of
immune checkpoint inhibitorsthat we're using for different
types of cancers and gettinggood results with them.
Car-t cell therapies extractsomebody's white cells out of
(17:57):
their system through their bloodand then you basically give
those cells in the lab theability to fight against cancer
cells.
So that's basically what ishappening.
It's currently very expensive,very experimental, and that's
something that there are biguniversities that are doing
trials to see if that couldpotentially be something that we
(18:20):
can apply to different types ofcancers or cancers that in the
past have been considereduncurable.
I'm very excited about thataspect of oncology.
Ashley (18:33):
Thankfully, dermatology we often don't have to send many
patients for chemotherapy orradiation or any of these newer
therapies.
But we end up talking aboutcancer a lot in our office
because we number one wediagnose a lot of people with
cancer, albeit skin cancer, butthen of course, we talk to them
about other types of cancers andperhaps how they differ and how
the treatments differ, becausewhen we tell somebody they have
a skin cancer, they immediatelytheir brain jumps to I'm going
(18:56):
to lose all my hair, I'm goingto be extremely sick, I'm going
to lose weight, I'm going tolose my appetite, all of these
things, and that likely is notgoing to be their story in our
office.
It's far less severe.
But also to tell them about allof these advances in medicine
and gosh, one day I hope thatwe're going to look back on some
(19:17):
of these treatments that we'reperforming right now and go, wow
, how barbaric, how barbaric.
So I'm just, I am so hopefuland I'm so grateful to all of
the researchers, all of the PhDs, all of the MDs, all of the PAs
I just spoke with a PA who doesclinical research and she's
incredible but all of thoseclinicians doing the hard work
(19:37):
so that we can present suchhopeful options to our patients.
I want to pivot real quickbecause I'm so excited about
talking about this.
Once upon a time a couple ofyears ago probably feels like a
lifetime ago to you.
Now you started a YouTubechannel called Journey to MD and
I have watched so many of theseepisodes and they are just
absolute gold, and I will linkthem below in the show notes.
(19:57):
But tell us a little bit aboutwhy you started that channel and
what your goal was.
And is there more to?
Dr. Oyetoran (20:08):
come.
Thank you for watching thevideos and for enjoying them.
I actually I thought about itjourney to MDM there right now,
but really I don't know ifyou're really ever there,
because you are all learning.
There's so much new informationand there's just so much to
learn, and no patient presentsthe same way, even with the same
(20:28):
disease.
I'm still debating on if I wantto keep that name or not, but
yes, I started this YouTubechannel back in 2020, I believe,
or 2021, and basically theinspiration behind it was there
was so much information I didnot know about being in med
school or being a med student orjust being in medicine in
general, and because I had tolearn it by experience, doing it
(20:53):
myself or asking people who arecurrently in it or right ahead
of me, I thought to myself thatthis is not information that I
should just keep.
This is information that thereare people out there who may not
have the opportunity but needthe information, and so I wanted
to make a platform where Icould share with people what I
was learning, different how tonavigate certain things.
(21:14):
I have videos up there aboutdifferent rotations I did how I
figured out that I wanted to dointernal medicine how to study
for step one, step two, the bigexams that we have to do,
because these were things I hadto experience myself in order to
fully be able to understand.
But the idea of being able tohelp somebody that I may not
even know personally justthrough my videos was, to me,
(21:37):
giving back.
So that's why I started achannel and it's been a couple
of years since I posted abouttwo years now but I'm currently
working on scripts and I will beback posting before June.
Ashley (21:52):
She'll be back.
Guys, like you said, givingback it's pride of profession,
it's giving someone a look intoyour life that they wouldn't
otherwise see.
It's the same thing with thispodcast.
There's so much to medicine,it's overwhelming and we hear
unfortunately, like most things,we hear so many negatives, but
(22:13):
there are so many positives tomedicine and yes, it's hard, but
yes, it's so worth it.
So do you think it's going tofocus on how residency has been
or do you think you're going toturn more towards what your next
steps are in Hemonc?
Dr. Oyetoran (22:24):
I think the initial videos will focus more
on what residency was like andthe things I've learned through
residency and what I would tellmyself in intern year know what
I know now.
And then, of course, lookingtowards the future as well.
Now it will be real time whereI can take them with me on this
new journey of fellowship inhematology oncology.
(22:47):
This new journey of fellowshipin hematology oncology and I'm
thinking of a medical Mondaywhere I discuss some sort of
medical topic that may havecertain myths or untruths around
them, or just rumors, andaddress those in short form
content that is easilydigestible, not using a lot of
medical jargon, and go fromthere.
(23:07):
But but I also still want it tobe personalized as well.
So I will definitely still bedoing vlogs and just like fun
videos too.
Ashley (23:16):
It's so geared towards education.
It's geared towards sharinginformation with others, which
is so incredible, and at thesame time, speaking personally,
it's a great lesson incommunication for us, for you
and I.
You mentioned using plainlanguage to describe some of
these things.
Oh, there's something that Iusually say when I have
(23:37):
in-person shadows or when I'mchatting with some of our
medical assistants regardless ofthe education level of the
patient that comes in the door,whether they have a seventh
grade education or they have aPhD, it is my job to make sure
that they have the sameunderstanding of their medical
(24:00):
condition when they leave.
That's on me, and so being ableto communicate is just.
It's such an important thing,and I think that producing
content like this especiallymedical content for the masses,
so to speak, is a really greatlesson in communication.
Dr. Oyetoran (24:16):
I agree, what you're doing is incredible as
well with this podcast.
I've had the opportunity tolisten to a couple of them and I
think again, like you just said, you're communicating things in
ways that other people candigest and also for that person
who's looking to go intohealthcare to be able to find
your podcast and listen to itand really understand what it is
that they're wanting to do orfigure out what path they want
(24:36):
to take.
I think that's very incredibleand very helpful.
Ashley (24:39):
Yeah, Thank you.
Thank you so much for sayingthat.
So we have a segment on theshow.
It's called Quality Questions.
It's where you give us anexample of a question that you
have been asked in an interviewyourself or a question that you
like to ask during an interview.
This is a great way to help usprepare for our own interviews
(24:59):
and break down some of thesequestions that perhaps we might
not have heard ever.
Do you have one of thesequality questions for us Before
we hear what Dr Oya Toran'squality question is?
Keep in mind that there's moreinterview prep, such as mock
interviews and personalstatement review over on
shadowmenextcom.
There you'll find amazingresources to help you as you
(25:19):
prepare to answer your ownquality questions.
Dr. Oyetoran (25:23):
I do.
I have an interesting questionthat I heard when I was
interviewing for fellowship andthe question was if you were a
kitchen utensil, what would yoube?
I thought that was such aridiculous question, but then I
thought about it and I realizedthat I guess they were trying to
figure out how well I played ina team.
I thought it was a veryinteresting question that I was
(25:44):
asked and it just made me pauseto think as to why that would be
a question.
Ashley (25:49):
That's a great question and you're absolutely right.
I think thinking about perhapswhy they were asking the
question is so helpful incrafting an answer to that
question.
Right, it's obviously it's outof left field, but is there a
purpose behind it?
Those left field questionsalways get me.
Dr. Oyetoran (26:07):
Right and you have to do like a oh, thank you for
asking me that question.
You need time to think.
Ashley (26:13):
So true.
Oh, that's so great.
Dr Oriatoran, thank you so muchfor joining us on this podcast
today.
Thank you for your dedicationnot only to education and
helping others, but to medicineand to hematology, oncology, and
I wish you all the best.
Dr. Oyetoran (26:32):
Thank you so much, ashley.
I've really had a great timespeaking with you as well, and I
look forward to seeing youaround.
Ashley (26:39):
Thank you so very much for listening to this episode of
Shadow Me Next.
If you liked this episode or ifyou think it could be useful
for a friend, please subscribeand invite them to join us next
Monday, as always.
If you have this episode or ifyou think it could be useful for
a friend, please subscribe andinvite them to join us next
Monday, as always.
If you have any questions, letme know on Facebook or Instagram
Access.
You want stories you need?
You're always invited to shadowme next.
Hello and welcome to Shadow Me Next, a podcast where
I take you into and behind thescenes of the medical world to
provide you with a deeperunderstanding of the human side
of medicine.
I'm Ashley, a physicianassistant, medical editor,
clinical preceptor and thecreator of Shadow Me Next.
It is my pleasure to introduceyou to incredible members of the
(00:22):
healthcare field and uncovertheir unique stories.
The healthcare field anduncover their unique stories,
the joys and challenges theyface and what drives them in
their careers.
It's access you want andstories you need, whether you're
a pre-health student or simplycurious about the healthcare
field.
I invite you to join me as wetake a conversational and
personal look into the lives andminds of leaders in medicine.
(00:44):
I don't want you to miss asingle one of these
conversations, so make sure thatyou subscribe to this podcast,
which will automatically notifyyou when new episodes are
dropped, and follow us onInstagram and Facebook at Shadow
Me Next, where we will reviewhighlights from this
conversation and where I'll giveyou sneak previews of our
upcoming guests.
And where I'll give you sneakpreviews of our upcoming guests.
(01:05):
Today, I'm joined by a physicianleader and passionate lifelong
learner, dr Anu Oyetoran.
She's currently serving aschief medical resident at the
University of Central FloridaCollege of Medicine, where she's
also completing her internalmedicine residency.
But what truly stands out aboutDr Oyetoran isn't just her
(01:26):
title or her clinical expertise.
It's her deep-rooted drive togrow, inspire and uplift those
around her.
In this episode she takes us ona journey that spans continents
from Nigeria to Canada, theCaribbean, new York and now
Florida, sharing how each moveshaped her resilience and her
(01:48):
adaptability.
She opens up about thechallenges of medical training,
the transformational experienceof intern year and her unmatched
excitement about what's next afellowship in hematology and
oncology.
We also dive into her creativeside as the voice behind Journey
to MD, her YouTube channel,which offers transparent and
(02:11):
encouraging guidance to aspiringmedical professionals, and she
shares how her family faith andcalling to be a light during
some of life's darkest momentshave fueled her passion to serve
, lead and one day contribute tothe cure for cancer.
Please keep in mind that thecontent of this podcast is
(02:31):
intended for informational andentertainment purposes only and
should not be considered asprofessional medical advice.
The views and opinionsexpressed in this podcast are
those of the host and guests anddo not necessarily reflect the
official policy or position ofany other agency, organization,
employer or company.
This is Shadow Me Next with DrAnu Oyetoran.
(02:55):
Hi, dr Oyetoran.
Thank you so much for joiningus on this podcast.
Before we even get started,full disclosure.
I met her when she rotatedthrough our office, so I know
you personally and what apresence you are.
I remember the first time Ieven saw you and watched you
interact with my colleagues.
(03:15):
I thought to myself oh my gosh,I have got to have her on the
podcast.
So this is like a dream cometrue.
Thank you so much for joiningus today.
Oh wow.
Dr. Oyetoran (03:24):
That's so sweet.
Thank you for saying that.
Hi, ashley, I'm glad to be here.
Thank you for inviting me.
Ashley (03:30):
You have such an amazing journey from the very beginning
, and where you're going afterthis is just going to be
incredible.
We have so many fun things totalk about.
When that happens, I usuallythink it's great to just start
at the beginning.
So take us way back and tell usa little bit about what
inspired you initially toconsider a career in medicine.
Dr. Oyetoran (03:53):
Yeah, I've always known that I wanted to go into
medicine.
For me it really was when I wasmaybe seven or eight, and what
happened was my best friend atthe time said she wanted to
become a pediatrician.
And so therefore, because she'smy best friend, I also decided
I wanted to become apediatrician as well.
But that was that was childish,and as I grew older I started
(04:16):
leaning more into the sciences,the biology.
I enjoyed anatomy, all of theseaspects of it, and so that just
became clearer for me.
It wasn't just because mychildhood best friend had said
it.
So I was very clear on medicinebecoming it.
I'm also full disclosure.
I'm Nigerian, which is in WestAfrica, and so once you say to
(04:37):
your parents that you want tobecome a physician, they hold
you to it.
They don't force you.
They don't push you.
At least my parents didn't.
There are some people whothat's their story, but that's
not mine.
But they definitely encouragedme and they were a huge part of
why I was able to achieve thisdream of mine.
And through high school, I movedactually from Nigeria to Canada
(04:58):
in high school and basicallystill realized that the passion
was still there, even though Ihad changed environments and
whatnot, and I even throughouthigh school.
Towards the end of high school I, my mom, found this school
called St George's University,and it was a Caribbean school
that offered a pre-med to medprogram.
(05:19):
And because I was so sure andusually the process is you do
four years of undergrad, thenyou stop and work we were in
Canada at that point in time youfinish your undergrad, then you
take the MCAT and then youapply to med school, and that
process can take anywhere fromeight years to however many
years it takes for things towork out.
(05:39):
And so we decided to go aheadand take that pre-med to med
path and it took me about sixand a half years with that.
So I caught up about a year anda half and so I went to med
school in the Caribbean StGeorge's University and from med
school in the Caribbean I wasthere for about four years of my
(05:59):
life, and Grenada is such abeautiful country I definitely
I've not had the opportunity tovisit again, but I definitely do
and so from there I did myclinicals in New York and New
Jersey, and then the pandemichappened, so I went back home
for a couple of months and nowI'm here in Gainesville doing my
resident.
Ashley (06:20):
That's an incredible journey, not just a metaphorical
journey through all of theschooling that you had to do and
the decisions, really, that youand your parents together were
blessed and were able to make,but just geographically, from
Nigeria to Canada, to Grenada,to New York, new Jersey, and now
you're in Florida and you'retaking another step.
After this, you've matched at aprogram that is not any of
(06:43):
those locations.
Were those moves hard for you?
Is this something that you justcount as part of your story and
you've used it to youradvantage, or were those really
difficult transitions?
Dr. Oyetoran (06:57):
That's a very good question.
I would say yes and no.
The initial one, from Nigeriato Canada, was definitely tough.
I was 12 at that time and Idon't think I fully understood
what was happening, but I knewsomething had changed and having
an accent, all of these thingsplayed a huge role into how I
(07:17):
realized I was different fromeveryone else around me, and
really just that whole journeytaught me to be confident in
myself, build self-reliance,adaptability as well, which I
think are skills that you needin any aspect of healthcare that
you go into, and so thatprobably was the toughest one.
Going from Canada to Grenadawas tough, but it wasn't too bad
(07:41):
because I already had theskills that I built before, and
so the other moves weren't toobad.
I actually see them as newopportunities for growth, to
meet more people, to expand mynetwork, and I always tell
myself every time I've moved ithas been for something better.
It's always just exciting forme to see what's coming next.
Ashley (08:00):
I love so much what you just said when you mentioned
that with your accent, and whenyou move to these new places and
realizing that you aredifferent and you are growing in
that confidence andself-reliance and adaptability,
and I think that is what hasmade you so relatable and I
applaud you.
And I think this is somethingthat we don't talk a lot about
(08:21):
specifically in becoming amedical doctor is how many moves
there are.
You might be able to tell mehow many of your colleagues
perhaps went to pre-med and thenmedical school and then
residency and then theirfellowship, all in the same
location.
I can't imagine that's verycommon.
Dr. Oyetoran (08:40):
It's not.
It's very dynamic and, yeah, Idon't think I know of anyone who
was able to somehow accomplishall four of those stages that
you outlined in one place Veryrare.
So you have to be very willingand to move and very adaptable
as well.
Ashley (08:57):
Thank you so much for sharing that story and
highlighting that that's notsomething we've talked about
before, and I think it's one ofthe things that makes matching
out of medical school and thenmatching again once you're in
residency, if you have theopportunity to do that it's.
What makes it so exciting isthat it is a new adventure, but
at the same time, I can'timagine being in that position
and realizing that you are aboutto uproot the life that you've
(09:17):
developed right there for thelast however many years and
start anew, which is holy moly.
That must be overwhelming, andit's just an element of what you
face as a physician and as aresident.
Speaking of which, tell us alittle bit about what you face
as a resident.
You are currently an internalmedicine resident here in town,
and then you have some prettyexciting next steps, but tell us
(09:40):
about your residency right nowand the fact that you're a chief
resident.
Dr. Oyetoran (09:43):
Yes, residency so far has been great.
The first year is always thetoughest, no matter what
residency you do, because goingfrom med school to the real
world is just night and day.
Of course, med school tries itsbest to prepare you for what
you meet out there.
What you read on the books isnever what you read in real life
, and so the first year wastough.
(10:05):
But most people and this is myexperience as well if you get
through that, then you're setfor the rest of residence.
Intern year was hard.
We do a lot of ICU, which islong hours 12 to 13, 14 hours a
day A lot of wards as well,which is the bread and butter of
internal medicine.
But past that, I'm currently inmy 30 and I'm at the point
(10:27):
where I feel very comfortableand confident in anything.
I'm supposed to be anindependent practitioner in
about three months and I feellike my residency has really
prepared me for that.
I feel very ready, veryconfident about that.
In my case, I'm going intofellowship and I believe I don't
know if we've mentioned itbefore but I'm going into
hematology oncology, which isblood and cancer medicine, and
(10:50):
for that you need a goodbackground in internal medicine.
It's a backbone of hematology,oncology, so I feel very
prepared going into it veryexcited.
It's been a dream of mine for awhile to go into hemong.
Ashley (11:04):
Oh I bet, how did you feel when you matched into
hematology oncology?
Dr. Oyetoran (11:10):
So hematology, or hematology oncology, is one of
the hardest specialties ininternal medicine to match into.
There are a couple that are alittle bit tougher, like GI and
cardiology, but I was shocked.
I was incredibly shocked.
I actually had my sister readthe email to me because I
couldn't open it myself and sherecorded my reaction.
(11:32):
And it's just my jaw droppedbecause, although you know I had
worked hard for this and I'm aChristian so I've prayed hard
for it as well Just the realityof it and seeing all of it just
come to pass and really justhappen was very incredible and
just exciting.
I can't.
I wish I could capture thatfeeling in a bottle and just
(11:53):
have it at my bedside and openit every morning.
Ashley (11:55):
Oh, wouldn't that be amazing.
Dr Oyetoran, you have mentionedfamily so many times already
and, of course, now you'vebrought up faith and tell me a
little bit about what family andfaith mean to you and how they
get you through.
Dr. Oyetoran (12:11):
I think that family is everything.
I take credit for how far I'vecome.
I've worked hard for everythingthat I've achieved, but a huge
part of that is my family aswell.
I have very supportive parentsand my siblings.
They've been very supportivethroughout this journey, and
this journey is hard to do alone.
Going through medicine alone isjust a very tough thing to do
(12:32):
and some people have to do it bythemselves and I salute them.
But I'm grateful that I had myfamily to lean on for support.
For those nights where I neededto just vent or cry or something
was tough or bothering me, Icould just pick up the phone,
call my dad, my mom or I havethree sisters, so I could call
any one of them and just talk tothem.
(12:53):
And for me, faith is the sameway.
I believe in God and the factthat we're here for a reason,
and I think, in that perspective, just going along that line,
that medicine in many ways is acalling, because see the
intimate aspect of humanity, yousee a lot of people at their
lowest point and to be able tobe a light in that way is just
(13:15):
something that I hold so dear.
And also my faith hasdefinitely supported me through
this, knowing that I have a Godthat I can depend on as well,
and that everything is workingtogether for my good, whether it
be the way I want it to or theway I don't want it to.
Just having that and knowingthat is very helpful.
Ashley (13:33):
That's so true, and even if it's not the way you want it
to work out, god is still goodand he has a good plan, and I
think you probably end up sayingthat a lot more when you're in
medical training.
Medicine is a calling.
You mentioned the intimateaspects of humanity and being a
light for some of these patientsin many of their lowest points
in their lives.
Do you think all of this hascontributed to your interest in
(13:57):
hematology?
Oncology, you mentioned it isone of the most difficult
fellowships to pursue afterinternal medicine.
So you know you're not choosingit because it's easy.
I'd venture to say you'reprobably choosing it because
it's hard.
Dr. Oyetoran (14:11):
Yes, that's definitely one of the big things
for me.
It's a tough specialty, becausethe people who will be ending
up in my office are people whohave heard the word cancer and
it not just being applied insome generic term, but really it
being applied to them and thatword is heavy and being somebody
that can be a light and notjust a light in terms of being a
(14:33):
support emotionally, but alsoknowing the medicine and knowing
how we can hopefully in somecases treat and potentially cure
some of these cancers to me isjust everything.
That's one of the big reasons Iwent into this specialty and
the fact that there's a lot ofresearch that's going into it,
and I would love to contributein some way to that to finding
(14:57):
some sort of cure or answer forthis question of cancer.
Ashley (15:03):
That brings me to a burning question that I've been
wanting to ask you.
But before I say that, I justwant to highlight the fact that
everybody in medicine andprobably even many people not in
medicine everyone wants to finda cure for cancer, right?
But what is so difficult isbeing in the room with those
(15:23):
patients when they find out thediagnosis of cancer, and that is
as a Hemonc physician.
That's where you're going to bemost of the time.
Finding a cure is amazing andwe're always going to be
fighting for those cures andtrying to get those patients to
that point.
But so much of that time isgoing to be spent in the
(15:43):
trenches with them and I'm justI'm so comforted, I have so much
hope, knowing that yourstrength will be their strength
in that time.
And it takes a special personto work in Hemonc, and I'm so
grateful that you've chosen thatcareer, because we need you in
it.
Dr. Oyetoran (16:02):
I appreciate that.
Ashley (16:03):
Thank you for saying that.
No, it's true.
So let's go back to the burningquestion.
So you mentioned research andwanting to really impact that
cure and finding that cure.
Have you done research?
I'm sure you have, so tell us alittle bit about research
you've done in the past.
Has it been something thatyou've enjoyed?
And what's next in the futureof oncology or hematology
oncology, what are we expectingto see?
Dr. Oyetoran (16:24):
I have done research in the capacity of case
reports where we see somethingthat is new or different from
the norm.
Let's say a certain cancerpresents a certain way or we
treated it a little bit out ofthe norm and got a good result.
Those type of cases we publishas case reports.
Also been involved inretrospective studies where we
(16:47):
look at we have the outcome.
Let's say somebody was on acertain medication and we look
back and see what the exposurewas that gave that outcome, and
so those are retrospectivestudies and we do a lot of them
as residents.
It's hard to do prospectiveones or clinical trials.
Just given the way my programis set up and just the time that
(17:07):
we have in residency, it's notenough time to really be able to
set up for clinical trials tosee if this certain intervention
gives a certain results withcertain types of cancer.
I do enjoy doing research.
I think when you can contributesomething to the body of
knowledge that's out there, thenI'm doing something positive to
(17:30):
affect the flow positivelytowards potentially finding a
cure for cancer.
In terms of what do I think isnext in oncology I've seen CAR T
cell therapy Right now we have,I mean there are a lot of
immune checkpoint inhibitorsthat we're using for different
types of cancers and gettinggood results with them.
Car-t cell therapies extractsomebody's white cells out of
(17:57):
their system through their bloodand then you basically give
those cells in the lab theability to fight against cancer
cells.
So that's basically what ishappening.
It's currently very expensive,very experimental, and that's
something that there are biguniversities that are doing
trials to see if that couldpotentially be something that we
(18:20):
can apply to different types ofcancers or cancers that in the
past have been considereduncurable.
I'm very excited about thataspect of oncology.
Ashley (18:33):
Thankfully, dermatology we often don't have to send many
patients for chemotherapy orradiation or any of these newer
therapies.
But we end up talking aboutcancer a lot in our office
because we number one wediagnose a lot of people with
cancer, albeit skin cancer, butthen of course, we talk to them
about other types of cancers andperhaps how they differ and how
the treatments differ, becausewhen we tell somebody they have
a skin cancer, they immediatelytheir brain jumps to I'm going
(18:56):
to lose all my hair, I'm goingto be extremely sick, I'm going
to lose weight, I'm going tolose my appetite, all of these
things, and that likely is notgoing to be their story in our
office.
It's far less severe.
But also to tell them about allof these advances in medicine
and gosh, one day I hope thatwe're going to look back on some
(19:17):
of these treatments that we'reperforming right now and go, wow
, how barbaric, how barbaric.
So I'm just, I am so hopefuland I'm so grateful to all of
the researchers, all of the PhDs, all of the MDs, all of the PAs
I just spoke with a PA who doesclinical research and she's
incredible but all of thoseclinicians doing the hard work
(19:37):
so that we can present suchhopeful options to our patients.
I want to pivot real quickbecause I'm so excited about
talking about this.
Once upon a time a couple ofyears ago probably feels like a
lifetime ago to you.
Now you started a YouTubechannel called Journey to MD and
I have watched so many of theseepisodes and they are just
absolute gold, and I will linkthem below in the show notes.
(19:57):
But tell us a little bit aboutwhy you started that channel and
what your goal was.
And is there more to?
Dr. Oyetoran (20:08):
come.
Thank you for watching thevideos and for enjoying them.
I actually I thought about itjourney to MDM there right now,
but really I don't know ifyou're really ever there,
because you are all learning.
There's so much new informationand there's just so much to
learn, and no patient presentsthe same way, even with the same
(20:28):
disease.
I'm still debating on if I wantto keep that name or not, but
yes, I started this YouTubechannel back in 2020, I believe,
or 2021, and basically theinspiration behind it was there
was so much information I didnot know about being in med
school or being a med student orjust being in medicine in
general, and because I had tolearn it by experience, doing it
(20:53):
myself or asking people who arecurrently in it or right ahead
of me, I thought to myself thatthis is not information that I
should just keep.
This is information that thereare people out there who may not
have the opportunity but needthe information, and so I wanted
to make a platform where Icould share with people what I
was learning, different how tonavigate certain things.
(21:14):
I have videos up there aboutdifferent rotations I did how I
figured out that I wanted to dointernal medicine how to study
for step one, step two, the bigexams that we have to do,
because these were things I hadto experience myself in order to
fully be able to understand.
But the idea of being able tohelp somebody that I may not
even know personally justthrough my videos was, to me,
(21:37):
giving back.
So that's why I started achannel and it's been a couple
of years since I posted abouttwo years now but I'm currently
working on scripts and I will beback posting before June.
Ashley (21:52):
She'll be back.
Guys, like you said, givingback it's pride of profession,
it's giving someone a look intoyour life that they wouldn't
otherwise see.
It's the same thing with thispodcast.
There's so much to medicine,it's overwhelming and we hear
unfortunately, like most things,we hear so many negatives, but
(22:13):
there are so many positives tomedicine and yes, it's hard, but
yes, it's so worth it.
So do you think it's going tofocus on how residency has been
or do you think you're going toturn more towards what your next
steps are in Hemonc?
Dr. Oyetoran (22:24):
I think the initial videos will focus more
on what residency was like andthe things I've learned through
residency and what I would tellmyself in intern year know what
I know now.
And then, of course, lookingtowards the future as well.
Now it will be real time whereI can take them with me on this
new journey of fellowship inhematology oncology.
(22:47):
This new journey of fellowshipin hematology oncology and I'm
thinking of a medical Mondaywhere I discuss some sort of
medical topic that may havecertain myths or untruths around
them, or just rumors, andaddress those in short form
content that is easilydigestible, not using a lot of
medical jargon, and go fromthere.
(23:07):
But but I also still want it tobe personalized as well.
So I will definitely still bedoing vlogs and just like fun
videos too.
Ashley (23:16):
It's so geared towards education.
It's geared towards sharinginformation with others, which
is so incredible, and at thesame time, speaking personally,
it's a great lesson incommunication for us, for you
and I.
You mentioned using plainlanguage to describe some of
these things.
Oh, there's something that Iusually say when I have
(23:37):
in-person shadows or when I'mchatting with some of our
medical assistants regardless ofthe education level of the
patient that comes in the door,whether they have a seventh
grade education or they have aPhD, it is my job to make sure
that they have the sameunderstanding of their medical
(24:00):
condition when they leave.
That's on me, and so being ableto communicate is just.
It's such an important thing,and I think that producing
content like this especiallymedical content for the masses,
so to speak, is a really greatlesson in communication.
Dr. Oyetoran (24:16):
I agree, what you're doing is incredible as
well with this podcast.
I've had the opportunity tolisten to a couple of them and I
think again, like you just said, you're communicating things in
ways that other people candigest and also for that person
who's looking to go intohealthcare to be able to find
your podcast and listen to itand really understand what it is
that they're wanting to do orfigure out what path they want
(24:36):
to take.
I think that's very incredibleand very helpful.
Ashley (24:39):
Yeah, Thank you.
Thank you so much for sayingthat.
So we have a segment on theshow.
It's called Quality Questions.
It's where you give us anexample of a question that you
have been asked in an interviewyourself or a question that you
like to ask during an interview.
This is a great way to help usprepare for our own interviews
(24:59):
and break down some of thesequestions that perhaps we might
not have heard ever.
Do you have one of thesequality questions for us Before
we hear what Dr Oya Toran'squality question is?
Keep in mind that there's moreinterview prep, such as mock
interviews and personalstatement review over on
shadowmenextcom.
There you'll find amazingresources to help you as you
(25:19):
prepare to answer your ownquality questions.
Dr. Oyetoran (25:23):
I do.
I have an interesting questionthat I heard when I was
interviewing for fellowship andthe question was if you were a
kitchen utensil, what would yoube?
I thought that was such aridiculous question, but then I
thought about it and I realizedthat I guess they were trying to
figure out how well I played ina team.
I thought it was a veryinteresting question that I was
(25:44):
asked and it just made me pauseto think as to why that would be
a question.
Ashley (25:49):
That's a great question and you're absolutely right.
I think thinking about perhapswhy they were asking the
question is so helpful incrafting an answer to that
question.
Right, it's obviously it's outof left field, but is there a
purpose behind it?
Those left field questionsalways get me.
Dr. Oyetoran (26:07):
Right and you have to do like a oh, thank you for
asking me that question.
You need time to think.
Ashley (26:13):
So true.
Oh, that's so great.
Dr Oriatoran, thank you so muchfor joining us on this podcast
today.
Thank you for your dedicationnot only to education and
helping others, but to medicineand to hematology, oncology, and
I wish you all the best.
Dr. Oyetoran (26:32):
Thank you so much, ashley.
I've really had a great timespeaking with you as well, and I
look forward to seeing youaround.
Ashley (26:39):
Thank you so very much for listening to this episode of
Shadow Me Next.
If you liked this episode or ifyou think it could be useful
for a friend, please subscribeand invite them to join us next
Monday, as always.
If you have this episode or ifyou think it could be useful for
a friend, please subscribe andinvite them to join us next
Monday, as always.
If you have any questions, letme know on Facebook or Instagram
Access.
You want stories you need?
You're always invited to shadowme next.
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