Opeolu Adeoye, MD, MS

I came to WashU in 2021 to become Professor and Chair of EM. Prior to that I was in Cincinnati for about 20 years including residency, fellowship and staying on as faculty, ultimately becoming Vice Chair for Research before moving to WashU.

Overall, I feel extremely fortunate to be in the position I am in. Personally, my wife and children have been incredibly supportive and always understood that I wanted to pursue an academic career that would result in a leadership position. To quote my (at the time) 13 year old son as we discussed a move in the middle of a pandemic, “it seems like a great opportunity and what you’ve wanted to do.”

Professionally, I would say I sought out true mentorship with accountability for specific goals and milestones to achieve those goals starting around the end of my fellowship in 2008/2009. Importantly, I created a plan. It failed in many parts over the years but I refined it and had senior people hold me accountable to what I said I wanted to do. And that’s my approach to mentorship in a nutshell. The mentee says what they want to do. I’m happy to offer my impression but ultimately it’s up to the mentee, with the caveat that there should be some responsiveness to counsel. Once a path is decided, there then needs to be specific things done in specific timelines. There will always be life challenges and night shifts and overtime. Holding oneself accountable means getting things done despite these challenges. There may be a delay but things get done. 

My philosophy and approach to what we do likely derives from the confluence of my upbringing, early loss of my mother, and lots of other life losses along the way. I feel incredibly lucky to be here doing what I’m doing. So, I try very hard not to let the daily doldrums get in the way of larger goals and objectives. My wife would say I can be “a machine” in that way and that not everyone can operate like that. I completely agree and that’s one of my never ending self-improvement projects.

I have had the fortune of mentoring many people. It is by far the most rewarding part of my professional experience the past 20+ years.