Changing Perceptions, Changing Lives

Changing Perceptions, Changing Lives is a compelling account of the struggle to redefine Black beauty through research, thereby, changing the notion- the old maxim that to be considered beautiful one has to look Caucasian. In the book, professor Ferdinand Ofodile captivates us with his narration of his journey from Nnobi, a small village in rural Nigeria to America where he attained the distinction of becoming the first Black plastic surgeon to be appointed a Clinical Professor Emeritus in the specialty of plastic surgery. After finishing high school education at Government College Umuahia, the prestigious, British-style boarding school in Nigeria, professor Ofodile was admitted to Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA with a scholarship from the coveted African Scholarship Program of American Universities ( ASPAU). Upon his medical education, also, at Northwestern University, Dr. Ofodile pursued his surgical and plastic surgery training in New York, capped by a chief Residency/Fellowship at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Dr Ofodile then returned to Nigeria to teach at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria's premier university. In 1982, he returned to the USA as Chairman of the Harlem Hospital Plastic Surgery Program, and Assistant Professor of Surgery at Columbia University, New York. There were less than fifty practicing Black plastic surgeons in the USA at the time, a pitiful number compared to White plastic surgeons in the country. To make matters worse, there was general misconception of Black aesthetic features, Black plastic surgery and Black plastic surgeons as a group. Professor Ofodile became part of a small vanguard of Black plastic surgeons that, independently, committed their research and careers to changing those misconceptions. In his book, professor Ofodile gives a fascinating step by step account of his contributions to that effort. In spite of his accomplishments in his adopted country, Dr. Ofodile did not forget his country of birth, Nigeria. He continued to promote progress in Nigerian Universities through faculty development and visiting professorships. His medical missions in Africa and the Caribbean changed and saved lives. In October 2022, he received a National Honor Award from the President of Nigeria, General Muhammadu Buhari.