Personal loss led family physician to cancer prevention in public health

“I have an interest in cancer, but I wanted to approach it from a prevention perspective rather than oncology,” said, Fakolade, who is the medical director of the city health department in Ashtabula, Ohio. “I wanted to keep that broad knowledge base because though everybody has a heart, not everybody needs a cardiologist. When primary care is done well, we can often prevent the need for more intensive care. That broad scope of practice drew me to family medicine.”

Blending family medicine with public health

Fakolade, who completed her family medicine training at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Family Medicine Residency in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, earned her master of public health degree and completed a fellowship in preventive medicine and public health at Case Western Reserve University/University Hospitals in Cleveland.

“There’s a lot that goes on in the doctor’s office,” she said, “but many of the most important drivers of health exist outside of it. That’s where public health comes in. We’re looking at things like safety, exercise, access to fresh foods and vaccines. Family physicians are well suited to roles in public health because we see everybody and we have that broad scope of practice.”

Fakolade earned her medical degree at the University of Lagos in her native Nigeria before coming to the United States for residency on a J-1 visa. Physicians who train on J-1 visas are required to return to their own countries for a minimum of two years after completing their graduate medical education unless they obtain a waiver and agree to serve in an underserved area for three years.

Fakolade took a job in Ashtabula—a small, predominantly white town on the shore of Lake Eerie that’s about an hour east of Cleveland and an hour west of Erie, Pennsylvania—six years ago.

“It has been great,” she said. “The people are warm and friendly. I feel appreciated and accepted. I’m building my practice. I found my community here, so I stayed.”

Promoting early detection in underserved areas

In addition to her role with the city health department, Fakolade, a member of the Ohio AFP, is a physician and medical director for quality and value-based programs at the Ashtabula County Medical Center.

“I enjoy building relationships with my patients and understanding what motivates them and what goals they have for their health,” she said. “Then I try to see how I can best help them achieve those goals. Prevention remains central—including smoking cessation, cancer preventing vaccines and appropriate screening. I am also interested in systems-level work and designing approaches that improve outcomes across populations.”  

In her medical director role, Fakolade is working with multi-disciplinary teams to expand access to preventive services by deploying mobile screening units to increase cancer screening rates in her rural community.

Her efforts to prevent and treat cancer extend to Nigeria, where she’s a consultant for the Lakeshore Cancer Center in Lagos. For five years, she has supported the development and dissemination of an online learning platform for clinicians. That initiative aims to increase access to training related to prevention, early detection and management of cancer in underserved areas.

“The health system in Nigeria is different,” said Fakolade, who completed elective rotations in Ghana, Honduras and Macedonia as a resident. “Many people are not covered by insurance and are more hesitant to pay out of pocket for screening, even though prevention is more cost effective than treatment. A lot of the work that we do is trying to switch the emphasis to prevention.”

Bringing an international voice to AAFP leadership

Fakolade will bring her clinical and public health perspectives to Kansas City, Missouri, as co-convener of the international medical graduate constituency April 23-25 during the AAFP’s National Conference of Constituency Leaders. That event is a leadership development event for women, minorities, new physicians, IMGs, and LGBTQ+ physicians and allies.

“We bring diverse experiences, including perspectives from different health systems around the world” said Fakolade, who served as a member constituency alternate delegate to the AAFP Congress of Delegates last fall and will serve as a member constituency delegate when the COD meets Oct. 19-21 in Nashville, Tennessee. “These additional perspectives strengthen our ability to improve care. Our system works better when we all contribute.”

NCCL is held in conjunction with the Academy’s Annual Chapter Leader Forum, which is a development opportunity for chapter-elected leaders, aspiring leaders and chapter staff.