May 10, 2024

By Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science staff

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Learn more about Funmi Adeleye, 2024 graduate of Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine, as she reflects on her past, her medical education at Mayo Clinic, and her aspirations for the future.

Hometown: Rosemount, MN
Undergraduate university: Loyola University, New Orleans
Specialty you plan to pursue: Orthopedic Surgery

Funmi Adeleye grew up in Lagos, Nigeria. Her parents were healthcare workers in the community. As many community members could not afford the prohibitive costs of healthcare, her parents would offer care at a reduced price.

She describes her experience growing up, "As a child, I would watch them routinely work long hours to suture wounds, dispense chloroquine for malaria, and provide preventative education. These humble beginnings laid a foundation for my interest in medicine and sparked a desire to restore hope to individuals at their most vulnerable moments."

"Years later, while I earned my MBA with a specialization in healthcare administration at Baylor University," Funmi continues, "I became acutely aware of the disparities in healthcare access and limited resources across different regions. This experience further motivated me to pursue medicine to directly address these inequalities. Combining my upbringing and exposure to healthcare challenges with my insights from business school, I am driven to equip myself with the skills and knowledge needed to better serve patients and contribute to a more equitable medical system."

Driven by her past, passion

As a Black female from Nigeria, Funmi described her motivation as stemming from her deep-rooted passion for uplifting the marginalized — immigrants, racial and ethnic minorities, and underserved populations — out of the systemic barriers that have historically hindered their access to healthcare.

She shares, "I am driven to address the pervasive lack of access to healthcare both here in the U.S. and globally, particularly among those who suffer from treatable conditions that drastically impact their quality of life. My childhood in Nigeria and experiences in the U.S. have deeply influenced my passion for addressing healthcare disparities. My exposure to healthcare inequities drives my mission to advocate for marginalized populations, fueling my passion to make a difference. Having received a solid foundation in my medical training, I am genuinely excited about the opportunity to expand my impact on a larger, more focused scale."