Janet Adeola Keku, MD

I am Nigerian-American and was born and raised in Chapel Hill, North Carolina (Go Heels!). I studied Biology and Psychology at UNC- Chapel Hill. My interest in psychiatry stemmed from a biopsychology course I took as an undergrad. I was fascinated to learn how a person’s life experiences could shape their physical health, mental health, and quality of life. Throughout undergrad, I volunteered as an advocate at the local crisis center. By working with sexual assault survivors, I learned about the power of empathy, advocacy, and most importantly, the strength survivors gain when their voices and feelings are validated. My involvement with the crisis center led me to a one-year research fellowship at UNC, where I worked on a study that followed the recovery process and health outcomes of women after experiencing sexual assault. As a medical student at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, I served as chapter president for SNMA and co-president of the Psychiatry Interest Group. During medical school, I participated in the June Jackson Christmas Summer Research Program in Psychiatry at Columbia University. My project focused on gender disparities in leadership positions and authorships in the top psychiatric journals. My decision to pursue a career in psychiatry is guided by a sense of responsibility to advocate for, teach and empower those whose voices are historically not heard and underrepresented in medicine. For this reason, I enjoyed organizing the annual Pre-Medical Conference where minority college and high school students were invited to Brody School of Medicine to learn about medical school and network with students and faculty. My goal is that one day we'll be able to take the "under" out of "underrepresented" and physicians will adequately represent the people we serve! My interests in psychiatry include child and adolescent psychiatry, trauma recovery, trauma-focused psychotherapy, medical education and mentorship. In my free time, I enjoy watching Grey’s Anatomy (I’ve seen every episode), hiking, trying new restaurants, traveling, and photography.