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wanted to stay in the country . She had other plans , however , and soon flew to the U . S . in search of post-graduate study .
“ I lived in Indianapolis , doing whatever jobs I could find while I finished the exams needed to apply for residency . Even though I could draw blood with my eyes closed in Nigeria , I could not even work as a phlebotomist as I didn ’ t have a certificate in the U . S . showing my phlebotomy training ,” she said . “ After about three months , my uncle who lives in Indianapolis came across a man who told him of an incentive program at the University of Indianapolis , Division of Medical Genetics .”
Dr . Obi began working as an assistant in the department , getting hands-on medical training from clinical geneticists and experience with patients . “ That practical experience in the US on my CV is , I believe , what attracted residency programs when I started applying for positions . I saw patients as a clinical geneticist . I provided counseling with an attending physician . At the time , I didn ’ t know it meant anything , because I didn ’ t get a degree from it . But it was a big deal .”
dream of obstetrics wouldn ’ t be her career . Instead , she fell in love with the work of her first rotation in the neonatal intensive care unit . “ That really gave me the best of both worlds . I could see the mother , whom I had wanted to deliver , and I could treat the baby . I ’ m taking care of them both , so it ’ s a win-win situation ,” she said .
Her study in Chicago ended in 1995 , and Dr . Obi deliberated on her next phase of life . On a bit of a whim , she chose Louisville , Kentucky for a fellowship program at the University where she remains affiliated today . It was close to friends and family , and a little farther south to avoid the harsh Chicago winters .
A few years after arriving in Louisville , Dr . Obi met her husband , Stanford Obi ( pictured below ), while attending her weekly African Christian Fellowship . “ My friend had just moved to Louisville , and my husband had moved into the apartment across from her . He is
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After applying to nearly 20 medical programs , Dr . Obi had a few offers to choose from . She selected the University of Illinois in Chicago ’ s pediatrics residency program .
“ Most of the physicians in my residency program were foreign . People from Nigeria , India , Europe … It made the time I spent during my training program very enjoyable because everyone knew where I was coming from . They all had a story to tell . Also , our residency director was from India . He had been in the United States a long time and understood what we foreign medical graduates were going through .”
After less than a year in Chicago , Dr . Obi knew that her previous 34 LOUISVILLE MEDICINE