South Florida doctor giving back to community that welcomed her as a child from Nigeria

A South Florida doctor who came to the U.S. from Nigeria as a child is now giving back to the community that welcomed her.

For Dr. Oluwadamilola Ajiboye, caring for Hialeah's seniors is more than medicine, it's a full-circle moment.

Ajiboye was 11 when she moved from Nigeria to Miami. She found a home in Hialeah and a culture that felt familiar.

"I think Hialeah actually turned out to be the best place to transition to the U.S because a lot of the culture I experienced was so similar to the culture that I grew up in, in Nigeria," Ajiboye said. "The love of family, the closeness of family, the sort of very welcoming expressive culture."

That sense of family stayed with her.

After medical school in North Carolina and residency at the University of Miami, she returned to Hialeah, this time as a doctor.

Today, she's medical director at Florida Pace Centers, caring for seniors who remind her of the people who first made her feel at home.

"It feels like things have come full circle with this experience for me, my culture very much reveres and appreciates the elderly, and so to be able to come back and take care of the seniors that basically welcomed me as a child, and new to the United States, it really feels like a blessing to be able to do that," Ajiboye said.

She says understanding her patients' culture helps her better understand their needs. 

Her patients say they feel that connection.

"She's great. She's a great doctor, she's very smiling with us, gives you a sense of security, she's marvelous," said patient Miriam Baquet.

 For Ajiboye, it's a chance to return the welcome she received, one patient at a time.

Florida Pace Centers provides medical care and support services to help seniors remain in their communities rather than move into nursing homes.