Dr. Bolu Ogunyemi has never treated medicine as something that happens only inside a clinic. For the Nigerian-born dermatologist based in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, health care is a question of fairness, and leadership is a way to widen the door.
Ogunyemi made history as the first Black president of the Canadian Medical Association. He is also the first graduate of Memorial University’s Faculty of Medicine to hold the role, and at 39, among the youngest physicians ever to lead the national organization.
His career has been built around service beyond the exam room. Since 2018, he has run a visiting specialist clinic in Labrador City, bringing dermatology care to a remote region where such expertise is scarce. At Memorial University, he served as inaugural Assistant Dean of Social Accountability, working on health equity, Indigenous health, and global health.
His advocacy has extended through board roles with Canadian Doctors for Medicare, the Canadian Dermatology Association, and the Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Association. He has been recognized with more than 50 awards for leadership and advocacy.
As CMA president, Ogunyemi has pressed for better access to family doctors, stronger support for community-based physicians, and fairer care for Indigenous Peoples.
“Whether you’re all the way up in Nain, Labrador, or down in St. John’s, everyone deserves equitable access to care,” he has said. For Ogunyemi, medicine is not just treatment. It is a promise that no community should be left behind.
