Favour Akabogu

What’s the most important leadership lesson you’ve learned?

Leadership is a way of service and giving back to your community.

What do you consider to be your most important career achievement or milestone?

Transitioning from a background in nephrology and studying the progression from acute kidney injury to gastrointestinal stromal tumors as my PhD thesis project. It has been challenging but very rewarding. I have learned a lot and I am excited about earning my doctorate degree.

What do you aspire to accomplish in your career and why? What obstacles will you overcome?

I have always been driven to help patients by enhancing their quality of life and discovering treatments that can alleviate their symptoms. I want to be part of a clinical trial team in a pharmaceutical company where I can work alongside experts to test drugs and bring them closer to patients.

Describe an amazing opportunity in your STEM career.

I received the Vertex Biomedical Science Career scholarship to pursue independent learning in data science. This opportunity will help me pursue my dreams of working in clinical trials.

How was AWIS helped you professionally and/or personally?

Through AWIS, I have met some incredible women who have reinforced my belief in my ability to achieve my dreams.

What is your favorite word? (only one word)

Courage.

How do you define it?

Courage is the ability to take action regardless of your emotions or your fears.

How has this word influenced or inspired your career?

Courage has allowed me to face challenges head-on and find a way out regardless of the situation. This is one trait that has gotten me far in life and in my career.

How does AWIS impact your career journey?

Through mentors at AWIS, I learned leadership skills and found my voice as I progressed through my graduate program. This helped me gain confidence in my work and my abilities.

What are you currently reading or listening to?

I am reading Alternative Careers in Science by Cynthia Robbins Roth

What do you consider the best professional or personal advice you’ve ever received?

Find a niche and excel at one thing.

Favour Akabogu is a third- year PhD candidate in the Sarcoma Lab at UMass Chan Medical School. Under the guidance of her mentor, Dr. Matthew Hemming, MD/PhD, she studies the molecular mechanisms underlying the biology of advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST), focusing on identifying novel treatment options. She is passionate about understanding disease mechanisms and developing therapeutic strategies for treatment. She also loves mentoring and the young generation in STEM fields.