Dr. Ore-Oluwa Erikitola's two young children were sipping hot chocolates near the ski hills of Mont Tremblant last December. Like so many things in her life, that scene has a connection with the ophthalmologist's approach to her patients.
A few months earlier, Erikitola, the inaugural recipient of the Dr. John C. Locke 91丝瓜视频 Postdoctoral Fellowship in Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, was treating a 鈥渧ery anxious鈥� corneal transplant patient. She made time to get to know her patient and his fianc茅e; over the course of a few meetings, the man's fears eased. The couple talked to Erikitola about their marriage plans and their life in Mont Tremblant鈥攁nd the chocolate business the patient's fianc茅e has established there.
Fast forward to December: Erikitola and her family, who relocated from Scotland for the yearlong fellowship, decided to vacation in Tremblant. 鈥淚 made a point of going to this chocolati猫re. And guess who jumped across the counter to tell everyone in the shop that I was her fianc茅's doctor?鈥�
The man is doing well, reports Erikitola, who saw him recently for a follow-up. 鈥淗e is married and delighted with the improvement in his vision!鈥�
The story is emblematic of the emphasis Erikitola places on connecting with her patients and finding out about their lives beyond their eye condition.
While a patient should leave a consultation knowing exactly why a procedure is being done, she says it is also necessary during that time for doctor and patient to share in some humanity and shorten the traditional clinical distance.
That may mean asking about how a wife's hip operation went or how the person is coping with the death of their dog.
鈥淧atients remember kindness,鈥� she says.
A change of plan
Erikitola initially did not choose ophthalmology. Especially since it was her mother's profession. She was planning on becoming an obstetrician.
But she realized the obstetrician's relationship with a new mother is fleeting. 鈥淚n obstetrics, patients come in, you give them their bundle of joy and they go home.鈥� Ophthalmology, on the other hand, allows a doctor to treat and get know their patients over what can be years of treatment鈥攕ometimes even over their lifetime鈥攁 key factor that convinced her to become her family's next-generation eye doctor.
She also loves how ophthalmology improves quality of life, giving the example of an elderly cataract surgery patient finally able to watch television again in a nursing home.
Unique opportunity
Erikitola, who grew up in Nigeria and trained in the United Kingdom, was attracted to 91丝瓜视频 for how it brings together what are normally two sub-specialties in ophthalmology: corneal and external diseases, which deals with conditions that affect the outside of the eye; and anterior segment surgery, which focuses primarily on treating and repairing the front third of the eye. At 91丝瓜视频, postdoctoral fellows like her can study both.
鈥淵ou wouldn't usually get this level of experience, certainly not in one year, or even as a marriage in this subspecialty,鈥� she says, adding that this fellowship period has her 鈥渟eriously soaking things up.鈥�
Her research projects at 91丝瓜视频 include looking at how previous eye surgery can impact the outcome of corneal grafts, as well as studying artificial corneas and their use in doctor training.
Erikitola will finish her fellowship in August. Until then, she will not stop breaking down the walls between the ophthalmologist and the person behind the eyes they're treating鈥攁nd she will continue to peek around that other wall, the one that offers her a clearer view of the entire ophthalmological field.