Hometown: Lagos, Nigeria
Major: Community Health
Damilola is a graduating senior from Lagos, Nigeria studying Community Health. She developed a passion for addressing healthcare disparities after growing up hearing stories within her community. Upon coming to Tufts, she found a way to pursue this passion through research, with a focus on improving pharmaceutical access. At Tufts, she dedicated her time to Tufts Timmy Global Health, through which she traveled to the Dominican Republic alongside 11 other students to help provide care and medications to five indigenous communities.
Driven by a desire to better understand communities, she began her journey as a Tisch Scholar during her junior year, where she deepened her understanding of civic engagement both at Tufts and in surrounding communities. In her first year as a Tisch Scholar, she interned with the Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health (MassCOSH), supporting the Immigrant Worker Center by helping develop and deliver lessons that empowered workers with resources to address workplace violence.
In addition to her community-focused work, Damilola cultivated a strong interest in research, by dedicating her time interning at Biotech and pharmaceutical companies. During the summer of her freshman year, she worked at ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI), where she learned about ALS, developed essential laboratory skills, and witnessed firsthand the efforts scientists are making to combat the disease. Motivated by this experience, she partnered with Project Onramp at Tufts and was placed at TenSixty Biosciences the following summer, where she contributed to protein visualization and conducted experiments such as western blotting.
She later worked as a Clinical Operations Intern at Agios Pharmaceuticals, where she consolidated blood volume requirements for several panel tests across multiple studies supported by four contract research organizations, improving consistency and efficiency in clinical trial operations. Building on her growing expertise, she worked at Massachusetts General Hospital as a Clinical Research Intern, assisting research coordinators with data entry and patient visits. These experiences gave her an all round perspective on research and strengthened her interest in research as a pathway to improving pharmaceutical access and ensuring that clinical advancements are both effective and equitable for diverse patient populations.
Beyond her academic and professional pursuits, Damilola served as a Residential Assistant, fostering a strong sense of community within her dorm. She also worked as an undergraduate biology teaching assistant, supporting students in understanding concepts. On campus, she served as Senior Captain of COCOA (Children of Cultures of Africa) dance team, where she expressed her passion for dance and cultural engagement.
Damilola hopes to deepen her understanding of how healthcare disparities impact diverse communities and aspires to become a pharmaceutical executive while pursuing both an MPH and a DrPH.
Oluwadamilola Akinyemi, A26