Eyiuche Okeke, M.D. Joins Joslin Clinic

Friday, January 29, 2010

“My interest in medicine stems from coming from a family with a history of diabetes,” says Eyiuche Okeke, M.D., who has joined the Joslin Clinic as a staff endocrinologist.

Born in the United States, Dr. Okeke moved to Nigeria with her family when she was seven years old and stayed through high school. 

While she was there, she witnessed her grandmother’s struggle with diabetes under tough conditions. That experience, combined with her interest in biology and science, was the seed for her decision to become a doctor.

Returning to the U.S. for college, Dr. Okeke graduated as valedictorian from City University of New York and went on to Harvard Medical School.

She completed her residency in internal medicine at Columbia University Medical Center, followed by an endocrinology fellowship at Joslin and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

During her fellowship, she aided in Joslin’s Asian American Diabetes Initiative program, helping in outreach to the Asian-American community in greater Boston, and in doing clinical research about delivering the best diabetes care.

 “I had a very good experience, getting exposure to different ethnic backgrounds and learning how we can get our message across,” she says.

“My interest is in how we can improve diabetes care for all populations, especially patients from different cultures or vulnerable populations,” Dr. Okeke emphasizes. “I don’t think that ‘one size fits all’ in diabetes treatment.”