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Akinboboye Named Among Nigeria, Top US Heart Doctors

Laolu Akande
New York

A NIGERIAN-trained doctor has been named a top heart doctor among about 60,000 around New York.

According to the Castle Connolly Medical Guide, a leading yearly publication of distinguished US doctors in New York, Chicago and Florida regions, Dr. Olakunle Akinboboye is among the top US doctors based in the New York region and he is identified as a leading specialist in cardiovascular disease.

The publication stated that the process of selecting the top doctors "begins with the identification of a selected pool of board-certified physicians from the total number of doctors practising in a given area" who will make the nominations. The process also involves a survey of already distinguished and leading physicians and hospital CEOs and medical directors, who are asked to nominate top doctors on yearly basis.

It is also noted that the selection is predicated on an extensive nomination procedure and a set of standards "which each nominated doctor was required to meet, in respect of their peers and academic excellence."

The nominees are asked to suggest names of doctors, "especially those to whom they would refer their patients and their own family members." The publication noted that only doctors who deliver outstanding patient care are chosen.

Akinboboye, now a nuclear cardiologist based in New York, graduated from the University of Ibadan College of Medicine before coming to the US about 18 years ago. And although he had completed his training in Nigeria, he took up (as required for practice in the US) another internal medicine residency and a cardiology fellowship at the Nassau County Medical Center and the State University of New York, both in the New York area.

Afterwards, he moved to the prestigious Columbia University and completed another fellowship with dedicated training in nuclear cardiology and advanced echo cardiology. Not just a medical doctor, Akinboboye is also an academic and taught at the Columbia University in New York between 1995 and 2000 as an Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine.

Akinboboye has the unique distinction of earning degrees not only in medicine but also an MBA from Columbia and also a Master's degree in Public Health from the same school. He also has to his credit over 100 scientific publications in the fields of hypertension, diabetes and heart imaging.

Currently, he is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the State University of New York at Stonybrook and also the Director of Nuclear Cardiology at a leading international medical center in New York, St Francis Hospital.

Recently Akinboboye, an active member of the Ibadan College of Medicine Alumni Association in the US and the immediate past president of the body opened his own private clinic- Laurelton Heart Specialists where he is director, in Laurelton, New York.

Recognised as a nuclear cardiology expert by both the American Heart Association and the Association of Black Cardiologists both in the US, Akinboboye was recently featured in another US magazine, Network Journal as a leading US black doctor. He was also featured recently in the publication of the American Heart Association as someone who "wants to make sure heart failure patients have the best chance of long-term survival, as well as lead active lives."

The association's publication noted that Akinboboye's research is "addressing ways to improve the ability of heart failure patients to increase their exercise tolerance."

Earlier this year, the Ondo State-born Nigerian doctor was awarded the humanitarian award of the College of Medicine at the University of Ibadan for his "ongoing efforts to spread expertise in the field of cardio-pulmonary resuscitation in Nigeria."

He also received the award of the US Association of Black Cardiologists for his "dedicated service as a board member from 1999 to 2005. He has received grants from the US government through the National Institute of Health, and also from the American Heart Association in recognition of his outstanding expertise and skills as a medical researcher and physician.

Akinboboye, who is in his 40s, expressed deep concern about how Nigerian professionals abroad can make an impact at home in their various areas of expertise. He cited University College Hospital (UCH) graduates abroad who are involved in activities to improve the level of medical education in Nigeria.

Among these is the taking up of MacArthur Foundations offer that if UCH alumni in the US and beyond can raise $250,000.00 the foundation will provide a counterpart fund of $250,000.00 grant.

The challenge came earlier this year and Akinboboye, who is an active fundraiser towards that goal said already, about $20,000, have been raised.

Akinboboye is a board member of the Nigerian Higher Education Fund set up in the US to improve university education in selected Nigerian universities, including University of Ibadan (UI), Ahmadu Bello University and the University of Port Harcourt.

Similarly, Akinboboye said he is also involved with other colleagues in what he called "tele-medicine" training, whereby US based doctors through satellite can begin to train and impact doctors and residents back in Nigeria.

According to him, "this is a mechanism for distance learning, so that we can take advantage of technology and the time difference between here and Nigeria." He said about $100,000 would be needed to do this and the plan was already in the offing.

For Nigerians who can also afford it, Akinboboye said there is also an "Executive Health Screening Programme" for highflying Nigerians to come to the US for detailed health screening and relaxation as is done in other countries for executive of companies.

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