It would not be a surprise to Dr. Irene Omotoso’s patients to learn that her middle name, Ayoyinka, means 'joy surrounds me'. Her name and its meaning epitomize who Dr. Omotoso is at her core — a doctor who takes great care to spread joy and goodwill to her patients and staff. She says, “My goal is just to care for people and that has channeled my career throughout."
Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Irene knew by the age of nine that she wanted to be a doctor. She was inspired by an uncle she admires a great deal. “My mother’s brother was a doctor in the United States when I was just in high school. He is very intelligent, and he encouraged me. I went to medical school at the University of Lagos in Nigeria.” The young medical student worked hard and arrived in the United States in January 1999, where she passed her board exams and obtained her medical license.
Dr. Omotoso started as a hospital internist in Syracuse, NY in 2003. After ten years, she joined Morehouse as an Assistant Professor of Medicine. “What I enjoyed most was going with the residents on the wards, and what made me happiest was being able to tell them, ‘You know everything, but if this patient perceives that you don’t care, they will go elsewhere.’ It was my resounding message for every single one of my residents.”
Having lived in upstate New York for a number of years, Dr. Omotoso and her husband, also a doctor, were ready to leave the cold-weather state. “We were looking for warm weather and warm people, and we found both. Georgia is warm and the people here are warm. We’ve been here for 16 years.” The Omotosos have twins; a boy and a girl. "My family is my world. They balance my life. I’m a woman of faith. I’m a born-again Christian unashamedly. I've been married to the love of my life for 19 years, and I’m more in love with him today than when I said, ‘I do'.”
Dr. Omotoso is admired and respected by her patients. “Some people call it empathy, but I prefer to use the word compassion. The common theme for every one of my patients is that I care about them genuinely. I genuinely like being a doctor.”
Dr. Omotoso shares health advice for the New Year, “I know how ordinary this sounds, but it’s two words — ‘start walking'. You’d be amazed at what walking does, and I encourage people to not walk alone. When you walk by yourself, you’re not as motivated to keep it up. Find a walking buddy. When you walk with someone it becomes a social interaction. The factor that increases lifespan and well-being the most is social interaction.”
Visit waterfallsmedicalpractice.org to learn more about Dr. Omotoso’s medical practice. “Our priority is not just to keep people healthy, but for the staff to be healthy as well. I want them to be healthy emotionally. I want them to be healthy physically. I couldn’t do what I do without my staff.”