Meet the Nigerian Doctor Who Opened His Own Emergency Department in Houston at Age 32

Dr. Foyekemi Ikyaator first worked in several emergency departments in Houston before deciding to forge her own career. Her passion for providing quality healthcare to patients led her to open Life Savers Emergency Room, an emergency department in Houston.

In an interview with Trip to HoustonDr. Ikyaator, a board-certified emergency physician in Houston and medical director of Life Savers Emergency Department, said she co-founded the facility with her husband in 2015. She said her husband has been her “backbone and strength” in their “remarkable journey.”

By KUTDr. Ikyaator opened Life Savers Emergency Room to provide medical care to Houston residents. Life Savers Emergency Room is described as a stand-alone emergency department because it is not affiliated with any hospital. Dr. Ikyaator’s facility has several facilities, including an on-site laboratory, radiology equipment, and a pharmacy.

“Recognizing a need for emergency care focused on patient education, we launched Life Savers ER globally in 2015,” she said. Trip to Houston“It proves that if you have a dream and your dream is accompanied by a vision and a goal that helps others, it is destined to succeed. At Life Savers ER, we have successfully treated and positively impacted thousands of patients.”

Dr. Ikyaator was born in Nigeria and moved to the United States at the age of 8. She attended the University of Georgia and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition in 2005. She then received a full scholarship to study medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.

“I remember my dad telling me … that education is a privilege and that I had to work hard to get a scholarship because we couldn’t afford tuition,” she said. “After graduation, I did emergency medicine training at Emory University School of Medicine and am certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine.”

But Dr Ikyaator faced some setbacks during her studies. She said Trip to Houston that she had difficulty “assimilating” into American culture when she left Nigeria.

“I was told I didn’t belong, I had a weird accent and I felt different during my younger years,” she said. “My parents were very supportive and encouraging, always teaching me the value of my education and encouraging me to be proud of my culture. I excelled in school because of their support.”

She also spoke about her mother’s death, less than two years after she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, saying it was heartbreaking to see her suffer. “She was incredibly brave,” she recalled.

“I remember asking to drop out of school to help my family and being told ‘no’ straight away. It wasn’t an option. My mother wanted me to succeed and her illness wasn’t going to derail that dream. Her death has affected me permanently. I understand people’s pain on a different level,” she added.

“I know what it means to carry a loved one to the toilet, to wash their body or to have to help them with feeding and medication. I have a deep empathy for the people who care for the weakened as well as the person who suffers from the illness. I hope that in my daily practice I will be able to encourage patients who are going through painful experiences.”

She also revealed that while she faced challenges during medical school and residency, nothing compared to her mother’s death. “Truth be told, the experiences I had during medical school and residency only fueled the fire that drove me to succeed and one day become the doctor who would help save lives.”