Izieduwa Akhionbare

   23 years old
   First Class Grade Average
   Medicine (MB BCh BAO)
   Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland

During her masters in Cancer Medicine, Izieduwa took on an active research role through the prestigious North South Research Programme.

As part of her scholarship, she worked on a research project exploring how certain biomarkers could help predict relapse in oesophageal cancer patients. With support from her supervisors and a PhD mentor, Izieduwa took the lead on key parts of the project – analysing tissue samples, learning to code in R to run survival statistics, and interpreting the results.

She presented her findings at the Early Oesophageal Cancer Symposium at the University of Cambridge. The research is now being prepared for publication.

At Queen’s University Belfast, Izieduwa served as Treasurer of the Minds Matter Society. While the role involved managing the society’s finances, she also took an active role in shaping its wellbeing initiatives. One highlight was helping to plan a relaxation evening for medical students – a space where attendees could share openly or enjoy the company of peers.

After graduation, Izieduwa plans to complete her foundation training, pursue a career as a doctor, and give back to her community through mentoring.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

I want to be an academic oncologist that’s leading innovation and helping with cancer research.

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