Spotlights
Dr. Mopelola Adeyemo, who identifies as an African American woman, was born to two immigrant parents who came to the U.S. to pursue higher education and provide their children with greater opportunities. After completing her Internal Medicine training, she pursued a clinical fellowship in Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, followed by another fellowship in Clinical Nutrition. Despite her education taking her across the country, she always planned to return to Southern California to serve her community. Upon completing her training, she joined the UCLA Division of Clinical Nutrition, focusing her career on researching and clinically managing obesity and related cardiometabolic disorders, particularly within racial and ethnic minorities.
Medicine wasn't just a career choice for Dr. Adeyemo, it felt like medicine had chosen her. Growing up in a racially and socioeconomically diverse community near Los Angeles, she witnessed firsthand the impact of preventable diseases on community members and faces that mirrored her own. She witnessed the economic and societal impact of these diagnoses on individuals and their communities. Motivated by a desire to understand why preventable diseases were disproportionately affecting her community and how they could be prevented. Medicine provided her with the opportunity to actively play a role in answering these questions and improving the outcomes of her community.
During her time at UCLA, she has been dedicated to promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) through her research, training, and leadership roles. Her research focuses on developing sustainable and effective ways to manage obesity and reduce the burden of cardiometabolic diseases in minority communities with the aim of improving cardiometabolic equity in diverse communities. Currently, she is working on a project funded by the AHA, aimed at understanding the barriers and facilitators that impact recruitment and retention of underrepresented communities in nutrition clinical trials. Dr. Adeyemo is utilizing community-engaged research to personalize nutrition recommendations to reduce cardiometabolic diseases among those at greatest risk.
In terms of leadership, Dr. Adeyemo has served on the Endocrine Society's Diversity and Inclusion committee, working to increase representation of underrepresented groups in leadership roles and supporting trainees from diverse backgrounds. As a Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion fellow, she has personally benefited from similar support.
As a healthcare provider, Dr. Ayeyemo emphasizes the importance of addressing preventable health disparities and socioeconomic barriers to healthcare in educating future professionals. She believes that through research, training, and policy changes, healthcare can become more equitable, diverse, and inclusive, benefiting patients and communities alike.
The most rewarding aspect of her work is guiding individuals toward healthier lifestyles and celebrating their achievements with them. She cherishes the stories of patients sharing newfound nutritional knowledge with their communities, demonstrating the lasting impact of their work beyond individual patient care. This daily fulfillment reinforces her dedication to her profession.
