Blessing Oyeleye

About Blessing Oyeleye

During my undergraduate studies, I noticed that many of my colleagues were not interested in pursuing research projects in veterinary pathology. For me, however, pathology was my top interest. After speaking with them, I realized that many did not understand the importance of pathology in clinical practice – particularly in veterinary medicine – and saw it only as postmortem work, which they found unappealing.

When I continued into postgraduate studies, I observed the same trend: other specialties attracted more attention, while pathology remained underappreciated. I viewed this as a serious threat to my field, especially in my region, as a lack of interest could lead to a shortage of specialists. I came to understand that the real issue was a lack of awareness. Pathology was misunderstood as being only about the dead, rather than its true role as the foundation of medicine and clinical practice.

To address this, I created the Future Vet-Pathologists Club in Nigeria – the first of its kind. The club aims to spark interest in pathology early by engaging high school students with activities such as microscopy demonstrations, and by showing medical and veterinary students the breadth of opportunities in pathology when choosing specialties.

After graduating, I expanded this mission globally by founding the Pathology Awareness Foundation (PAF), a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the value of pathology. At PAF, we bridge the gap of disinterest by highlighting how pathology underpins and connects with every field in healthcare. We do this through workshops, campaigns, outreach, and mentorship programs.

Today, PAF has teams of ambassadors in Nigeria, India, and Cameroon, all working to promote pathology in their communities and inspire students to consider it as a specialty. Some of our recent initiatives include campaigns on the role of pathology in zoonosis and public health, as well as exploring the different sub-specialties within pathology. In May 2025, we organized an international workshop featuring a pathologist from South Africa, who shared insights on how to specialize and succeed in pathology. Students from several countries attended this program, reinforcing our vision of creating a global movement for pathology awareness.