Meet Oluwatoni

I am a public health professional with a rich background in microbiological laboratory research and infectious disease control. Having served as a Technical Assistant (Policy) to the Director General at the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, I have contributed significantly to health security initiatives and policy development in Nigeria. 

As the founder of The Student’s Friend, a youth development initiative, I leverage my experiences to mentor and guide students and early career professionals. Through @thestudentsfriend on Instagram, I host regular live sessions featuring professionals from various fields, providing valuable insights into their academic and career journeys.

On any day, outside of giving my time to my work and mentorship, 

 you might find me spending time with family, laughing, sending memes to my friends, pinning ideas on Pinterest, finding and listening to music, reading  and writing.

Debatable, but I think I have spent the most part of my life studying!

I graduated with a Master of Science degree in Control of Infectious Diseases from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

Before this, I studied for a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Biomedical Science at the University of Surrey with a professional training year at Public Health England (now United Kingdom Health Security Agency) where I had the opportunity to do some research on the multi-drug resistant yeast, Candida auris.

You may have concluded a few things by now – I love reading, bugs (microbes), and will contribute to solving problems with the next emerging infectious disease. 

Stay tuned! We’ll see.

My path into university was from secondary school to A-Level (at Oxbridge Tutorial College Lagos, and Bellerbys College, Cambridge). Why two colleges you may wonder? I was on a medical pathway at Oxbridge that led to Bellerbys, however, I ended up not continuing toward my dream of becoming a medical doctor. You can read more about my journey on my blog.