Oyetunji's World

Dr. Shakirar "Lara" Oyetunji, MD, MPH, is a cardiothoracic surgeon with a clinical expertise in the treatment of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy at the UW Heart Institute and chief of cardiac surgery at Veterans Administration Puget Sound Health Care System.  

Before all that,  she heard a lot of “Perhaps you should consider something else — nursing, dentistry, nutrition, pharmacy…”  Growing up in Nigeria, she had a role model in her father to believe in her own abilities.  She hopes to inspire that same belief in others through her role in UW's Doctor for a day where she provides underserved K-12 students in the Seattle and Greater Seattle area exposure to medicine and surgery.   In addition to that, her work abroad helping to create of a training program for cardiac surgeons in Nigeria and Rwanda demonstrates a true commitment to nurturing a healthier world, both here and abroad.

Topics:
:18 - From the beginning
4:25 - What would you tell resident you
7:15 - Training and Mentorship Approach
9:47 - Barriers and Bias
16:22 - Addressing Bias
22:20 - Equity vs. Equality
23:41 - Global Health Initiatives
37:45 - Chief of Surgery at the VA
44:47 - The latest in Cardiac Surgery (Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy)
52:00 - Heart Team Approach

Some links to the topics discussed:
UW's Doctor for a Day Program
TAKE A TEST - Implicit Bias
Implicit Bias in Healthcare Study
Operation Giving Back (OGB) - ACS
Society of Black Academic Surgeon

Dr. Oyetunji's email: oyetunji@uw.edu