( continued from page 33)
wanted to stay in the country. She had other plans, however, and soon flew to the U. S. in search of post-graduate study.
“ I lived in Indianapolis, doing whatever jobs I could find while I finished the exams needed to apply for residency. Even though I could draw blood with my eyes closed in Nigeria, I could not even work as a phlebotomist as I didn’ t have a certificate in the U. S. showing my phlebotomy training,” she said.“ After about three months, my uncle who lives in Indianapolis came across a man who told him of an incentive program at the University of Indianapolis, Division of Medical Genetics.”
Dr. Obi began working as an assistant in the department, getting hands-on medical training from clinical geneticists and experience with patients.“ That practical experience in the US on my CV is, I believe, what attracted residency programs when I started applying for positions. I saw patients as a clinical geneticist. I provided counseling with an attending physician. At the time, I didn’ t know it meant anything, because I didn’ t get a degree from it. But it was a big deal.”
dream of obstetrics wouldn’ t be her career. Instead, she fell in love with the work of her first rotation in the neonatal intensive care unit.“ That really gave me the best of both worlds. I could see the mother, whom I had wanted to deliver, and I could treat the baby. I’ m taking care of them both, so it’ s a win-win situation,” she said.
Her study in Chicago ended in 1995, and Dr. Obi deliberated on her next phase of life. On a bit of a whim, she chose Louisville, Kentucky for a fellowship program at the University where she remains affiliated today. It was close to friends and family, and a little farther south to avoid the harsh Chicago winters.
A few years after arriving in Louisville, Dr. Obi met her husband, Stanford Obi( pictured below), while attending her weekly African Christian Fellowship.“ My friend had just moved to Louisville, and my husband had moved into the apartment across from her. He is
( continued on page 36)
After applying to nearly 20 medical programs, Dr. Obi had a few offers to choose from. She selected the University of Illinois in Chicago’ s pediatrics residency program.
“ Most of the physicians in my residency program were foreign. People from Nigeria, India, Europe … It made the time I spent during my training program very enjoyable because everyone knew where I was coming from. They all had a story to tell. Also, our residency director was from India. He had been in the United States a long time and understood what we foreign medical graduates were going through.”
After less than a year in Chicago, Dr. Obi knew that her previous 34 LOUISVILLE MEDICINE