Inaugural Aggrey Burke Fellows: Daniel Olaniyan

Psychiatry is a specialty that I had a keen interest in, even before I entered medical school. I admire how it takes such a holistic approach and addresses biological, psychological and social factors, that may impact someone's mental health.

My dad is also a consultant psychiatrist, so I’ve been able to see first-hand what being a psychiatrist entails and it’s a profession which I believe I would thoroughly enjoy.  

I joined the Aggrey Burke fellowship, as I thought that it would be a great opportunity for me to enhance my understanding of psychiatry as a profession, as well as pushing me out of my comfort zone through making me do things like give speeches and writing blog posts like this.

I think the fellowship is extremely important in tackling racial discrimination within psychiatry, as it encourages young, black medical students , such as myself, to enter a field which they are currently underrepresented in. I wasn't very aware of the racial disparities within the healthcare system until I joined medical school however, through doing my own research and attending various talks, I believe  that I am more educated on the subject and I understand now why it is so important that we do as much as possible to reduce these disparities.

I believe that diversity is extremely important within psychiatry for a number of reasons.

One of the main reasons why it's important is because it will allow for greater understanding of cultural differences. Studies have shown that black people are more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia, when compared to Caucasians.