Voices of HMSOM: Ogunsemowo Finds Her Path to Medicine

Finding one’s path in life can sometimes be a natural and logical progression from life experience already gained.

Such is the case for Angelique Ogunsemowo, a fourth-year medical student at the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine. It was an early exposure to childcare as a youth that ultimately fueled her decision to pursue a specialty in pediatrics.

“I definitely did not always know I wanted to be a physician,” said Ogunsemowo, 27, of Waldorf, Md. “My mom had owned and operated a daycare since I was eight years old. I basically grew up with other children around me and learned how to take care of children while I was a child. I also worked in the nursery at my church from a very young age.”

Ogunsemowo didn’t first aspire to be a physician and then choose a specialization in pediatrics. Rather, she decided she wanted to become a pediatrician, and to do that, she needed to become a physician.

“Angelique Ogunsemowo brings a longtime passion for working with children that fuels her education,” said Jeffrey Boscamp, M.D., the president and dean of the school. “The focus and drive toward patient care of—and health advocacy for—children makes her an outstanding M.D. candidate in pediatrics.”

ZOOMING OUT TO DISCOVER A VISION

An initial desire to be a daycare provider was tempered by the long-term sustainability of childcare as a full-time career. Through discussion with and guidance from her parents, Ogunsemowo quickly realized she could combine her passion for working with children with the pursuit of a career in healthcare.

“From dealing with health challenges with my kids in my classroom, I was very limited in what I could do to help them,” she said. “I learned being a doctor would help me to take care of not only their basic needs, but also their health.”

Ogunsemowo realized—contrary to many physicians who gain varied experiences to learn where they’d specialize—she’d need to gain experience outside of her specialty to increase her pool of knowledge to apply to pediatrics.

She took the opportunity to volunteer with the Bergen Volunteer Medical Initiative (BVMI) student clinic. Her work included providing primary healthcare to low-income and uninsured patients to ensure they received essential medical services, screenings and treatment.

That outside work combined with her med school experience in HMSOM’s Human Dimension program, which paired her with a community member to care for.

“We were responsible for not only helping people with specific health care needs,” she said. “We’d meet them outside of school to help them navigate a complicated healthcare system through social determinant challenges and insurance frustrations.”

Through these experiences, Ogunsemowo developed a vision to become a humanistic physician, maintaining personal connections to her patient base and community.

ZOOMING IN TO ESTABLISH A MISSION

Further volunteer opportunities included community medicine collaboration with the Clifton, N.J., Board of Education, the Oasis Haven for Women and Children in Paterson, N.J. These opportunities provided a myriad of experiences ranging from providing health screening services for elementary school students, to providing nurturing care for infants and toddlers, to leading workshops with mothers and young women for empowering childcare and living healthy and safe lives.

Add in her time serving her church and leading a Sunday School class of five-year-olds each week, it’s an all-encompassing, synergistic exposure to her mission moving forward.

“I want to be a physician that, number one, shows up for her patients that they can trust,” said Ogunsemowo. “I want a parent to trust me when I recommend a vaccine for their child out of love for their child. I also want to be a physician known in her community.”

Through a life of dedication to her Christian faith, and being raised as the oldest of three children by hard-working Nigerian immigrants, Ogunsemowo says she learned a life of selflessness and discipline.

“My family is always supporting me, always checking in to see how I’m doing,” she said. “They’re proud of me no matter what, and I know they’ve been praying for me and supporting me in that way, as well.”

It’s from her support system, her longtime passion for children, her well-rounded experience, and her medical education, that Angelique Ogunsemowo understands her personal mission.

“I want to give back to the people in my immediate vicinity and community, in my family and my church,” she said. “While it’s necessary to strike a balance of work and life—as one can’t pour from an empty cup—I want to show up for my children beyond our appointments as their pediatrician.”