You may have seen this viral video clip of Julius Oni, a medical doctor, who left his job at Johns Hopkins Hospital in the United States and decided to return to Nigeria after 25 years of living overseas.

Oni is a 41-year-old associate professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and the CEO of Xsite Capital, a private equity multi-family real estate company. He says that he wants to transform musculoskeletal care in Nigeria.

As expected, the video which first went live on Oni’s Instagram page on Tuesday before it was circulated to other platforms by social media users has attracted mixed reactions. While some are questioning the rationale for returning to his home country plagued by economic woes, hardship and high cost of living, others have lauded his decision.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Julius K. Oni, MD (@doctorjko)

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When Oni moved to the US for college 25 years ago, he did all manner of jobs ranging from pizza maker to dishwasher and office messenger. His education kicked off with a bachelor’s degree in Biology from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude.

In 2002, his passion for research earned him fellowships at the University of Iowa’s Department of Biochemistry and the NIH/National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, MD.

Oni obtained his medical degree between 2003 and 2007 from the Howard University College of Medicine and was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. He had his Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Programme at the New York University Hospital for Joint Diseases.

A MAN FULL OF CONVICTION

Before he relocated to Nigeria, Oni relinquished his duties as Director of the Joint Replacement Fellowship and his role as the Diversity Chair for the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Johns Hopkins. He only retained his duties as the Director for Global Orthopaedics.

He said he took a leave of absence from his job at Johns Hopkins, sold his house and cars and then moved back to Nigeria with his family.

“Some of you might call me delusional or even crazy, but I am neither. I am just a man full of conviction…” Those were his words in the viral clip, as he shared why he made that decision.

He says that his goal is to ensure that Nigerians no longer need to travel abroad to access high-quality orthopaedic surgery and treatment. As part of his mission to deliver great healthcare, he returned to set up DOC Medical Nigeria, offering high-quality musculoskeletal care.

When he first announced his relocation plans via a video he posted in May, he noted that in addition to starting a world-class orthopaedic practice, he would also establish a fellowship training programme to train the next generation of joint replacement surgeons to serve the Nigerian population.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Multifamily Real Estate Investing | Physician Founded (@xsitecapital)

HIS PATERNAL GRANDMOTHER’S HEALTH CONDITION SPURRED HIS INTEREST IN ORTHOPAEDICS SURGERY

Oni mentioned that his paternal grandmother’s inability to access care while she suffered from end-stage knee arthritis spurred his interest in orthopaedics.

His grandmother could not access the kind of care that would have alleviated her pain and restored functionality at the time. “Unfortunately, she passed away during my orthopaedic surgery training, and I never really got the chance to take care of her,” Oni said.

Having practised in his field for 11 years across three different continents, he said that he felt it was time to dedicate his energy and time to serving Nigerian patients.

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Oni has an impressive list of accomplishments, including over 10 years of experience as an Academic Joint Replacement Surgeon, being a fellow of the American Orthopaedic Association, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, and the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons, recognition as a “Top Doctor” in Joint Replacement by Baltimore Magazine from 2019 to 2022, and over 50 publications in orthopaedic surgery, among others.

He is also an active angel investor, with a portfolio featuring companies such as Helium Health, Akido, Magic Fund, Chronus Health, MDAAS Global and ROM Tech.
The post Julius Oni, a Johns Hopkins Orthopaedic Surgeon, Wants to Help Nigerians With Musculoskeletal Conditions appeared first on Foundation For Investigative Journalism.