Azeez Abiodum, MD

Azeez Abiodun began his career as an internist in his native Nigeria. While in Nigeria, he held a highly respected medical care position, but deep inside, he yearned for something more.

His relentless nature helped him pursue a greater knowledge of medicine. To do so, he moved to the US, where he completed his Internal Medicine Residency Program at Prince George’s Hospital in Maryland, achieving his “MD” status. In 2005, he obtained his American Board of Internal Medicine Certification.

Since then, he has practiced Internal Medicine in Maryland, Washington D.C., and West Virginia. His global career has made his knowledge of medicine vast and today he practices in Greenbelt, MD and is affiliated with Doctor’s Community Hospital.

Abiodun’s parents played a supportive role as he pursued his career. He was enrolled in school early in life. His parents believed that education was a key bridge to success. When his mother died of cancer, he was inspired to pursue medicine as a career and help those who are suffering from illness.

Azeez believes that we are all responsible for helping the community. Now, he volunteers as a physician in poverty stricken communities in Nigeria. In 1999, he met Nelson Mandela. He admires his relentless spirit and hopes to show the same qualities in his work. Abiodun will continue to act in non-profit medical missions as long as he can.

What health care change have you been most pleased with?

I have really been pleased with the removal of the “pre-existing condition” clause in the healthcare industry. This is where a patient who has been dutifully paying his/her insurance premium gets diagnosed with an illness and the insurance company declines to foot the bill, claiming the condition actually existed before the individual bought the health insurance.

I’ve met quite a number of individuals that have been financially ruined by that scenario. The discontinuation of that clause is a real positive step for the society at large.

What other changes would you like to see in your field of medicine?

There needs to be a greater emphasis on preventive healthcare in the society at large …we seem to do more of intervention/treatment at the present time.

If you weren’t a doctor, what other profession would you have interest in?

Being a teacher is something that fascinates me and I’ve enjoyed doing it in the past.

There is a special moment when a kid suddenly grasps the concept you’re explaining and you transiently see their face glow at that particular moment in time (priceless)!

Teachers nurture our future generation and ensure the next generation is better and wiser than the one preceding it.