Growing up, Dr. Dauda Fadeyi’s first love was basketball. He went to college on a full athletic scholarship and dreamed of joining the NBA or playing overseas.

Even though his parents—his father was an epidemiologist and his mother a social worker—supported his basketball aspirations, Fadeyi, who grew up in Tampa as a first-generation Nigerian, said they also encouraged him to pursue an MPH degree after college.

Choosing which direction to take his career in was a tough decision, but Fadeyi ultimately decided to hang up his jersey and head back to the classroom. “I opted to further my education rather than take my chances playing ball overseas,” he commented.

Fadeyi enrolled in Florida A&M University, getting his MPH in 2011. Ten years later, he received his DrPH degree in Advanced Practice Leadership in Public Health from the USF College of Public Health (COPH).

Early Career

Fadeyi’s first job as a newly minted public health professional was working with a nonprofit community-improvement association assessing residents’ perspectives on prostitution in their neighborhood. From there he took a job with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), working as a public health associate with the Southwest Public Health District in Albany, Ga.

“When I began my MPH journey and learned more about public health,” Fadeyi said, “I realized that public health is everything. It encompasses environmental, global, community and behavioral health. It’s policy-making, research, science, innovation and marketing. It has a great impact on our daily lives.”

Going Global

In the nearly 12 years since he’s been with the CDC, Fadeyi’s held a variety of positions with the agency around the world, serving as a grant management specialist, a public health analyst with the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control and a deputy team lead with the CDC’s Center for Global Health, Africa Polio Eradication Branch.

Today, Fadeyi is the cooperative agreement manager/acting deputy director in the Division of Global HIV/AIDS and TB in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a position he’s held for about a year. He’s primarily responsible for providing technical assistance and leadership to local and international partners helping with HIV/TB treatment, diagnosis and care.

Fadeyi says what he loves about the work is it’s an opportunity to work boots on the ground with communities and partners around the world.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to serve as a diplomat/expat on behalf of the U.S. government,” he said. “I love the fast pace, being close to the action, working with local partners, meeting other diplomats and the collaboration among other agencies and missions. I also love that I get to experience this with my family (my wife Chryston, daughter Cyrene and son Dauda III).”

Time at the COPH

When it came time to further his education, Fadeyi said USF’s COPH was a logical choice.

“My dad is a USF alum, Tampa is home for me and the COPH offers a great online program,” he commented. “I met amazing individuals, learned a great deal and conducted a unique, but relevant, mixed-methods study exploring the role of socioeconomic status (SES) and how it affects the relationship between college athletes and psychological health. I think the USF DrPH program is amazing and I always recommend it to others who inquire.”

Not that there weren’t challenges. Fadeyi said that while working on his dissertation, his father unexpectedly passed away.

“This was very tough on me and my entire family,” he said. “I also became a father a few weeks after my dad passed, and later experienced more challenges with my study ambassador who served as the key person of contact in my study, assisting me with recruitment and the data-collection process. This caused major delays in my overall study progression and extended my graduation date one additional semester. But I’m grateful to my entire committee. They really worked hard to help me meet deadlines, overcome challenges and get through the program.”

Future Goals

Fadeyi said he hopes to continue to work for the CDC on an international level, “assisting individuals, communities and countries with general health needs and working toward creating a better world for all, one day at a time.”

And he hasn’t abandoned his love of sports. Since graduating from the DrPH program, Fadeyi’s created a virtual community for college athletes called Sports Knowledge and Life (SKaL).  “SKaL is focused on helping student-athletes learn from the unique journey/stories of former college athletes,” he said. “I’d love to broaden my SKaL passion project to reach as many student-athletes as I can.”

Alumni Fast Five

What did you dream of becoming when you were young?

I dreamed about owning my own business as a car salesman and playing basketball in the NBA or overseas.

Where can we find you on the weekend?

Spending quality time with my wife and two children and doing fun things that are kid-friendly. Also, hanging out with family and friends. 

What is the last book you read?

“The Code of the Extraordinary Mind,” by Vishen Lakhiani

What superpower would you like to have?

I would love the superpower of total recall/photographic memory, where I can recall anything from current or ancient history. I would be able to implement positive change and work to not allow bad times in history to repeat. 

What’s your all-time favorite movie?

“The Jacksons: An American Dream.” So many lessons to be learned from this movie, along with understanding what it takes to be successful.

Story by Donna Campisano, USF College of Public Health