Hello, my name is Owomide

Owomide Adeyemi, WVU MPH Student

     Hello, my name is Owomide Adeyemi, I am originally from Brooklyn New York and moved to West Virginia to pursue my bachelor’s degree in Psychology. When the pandemic started, I decided to extend my stay and pursue my Master of Public Health: Epidemiology at West Virginia University.  

     I am pursuing my internship with Think Kids this summer semester to fulfill my practicum requirement for my program. What attracted me to the organization is their advocacy work for West Virginia children and youths who are affected by the drug epidemic. My current employment at J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital as an Addiction Specialist has given me the opportunity to work closely with individuals whose lives have been affected by drug use. The majority of these patients experience adverse health issues due to prolonged use and exposure to drugs. 

      I believe that it is important to educate and participate in improving the health and overall wellbeing of members of the WV community. For a decline in the drug epidemic to occur, the focus needs to be placed on the social determinants of health that are impacting addiction and drug use.  

     With this experience, my goal is to utilize the research and available data on the opioid epidemic in WV and discover a way in which researchers will be able to address both the health issues and social determinants that are affecting children and youth.