First-ever woman neurosurgeon in Nigeria now practicing at Freeman Children's Clinic

(From Freeman Health)

Roughly 5,750 miles, as the crow flies, separates Joplin from Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria, Dr. Salamat Aliu-Ibrahim’s hometown.

Today, she happily calls Joplin her home. As a general pediatrician, she sees and treats her young patients each day at Freeman Children’s Clinic on McIntosh Circle Drive.

Prior to moving halfway around the world and adopting pediatrics full-time, Dr. Aliu-Ibrahim made history in her native Nigeria by becoming that nation’s first-ever woman neurosurgeon as well as the first woman neurosurgeon certified by the West African College of Surgeons (WACS).

“I definitely feel proud about [these] achievements,” Dr. Aliu-Ibrahim said. “I see it as an opportunity to be a role model for young girls who have high dreams, letting them know that they can aspire to any career they want, even those considered male dominated.”

While working at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital in Kwara, Nigeria, she received several excellence awards for her barrier-breaking achievements, including one from The Medical Women Association of Nigeria in 2015 as a pioneer in the healthcare field. During that time, she was interviewed multiple times by newspapers, television and radio station reporters throughout Nigeria, and many articles and blogs were written about her trailblazing accomplishments.

Type Aliu-Ibrahim’s full name into a browser and you’ll quickly find she has her very own Wikipedia page.

“Medical students, both males and females, from all over Nigeria, have sought me out for mentoring,” she said. “They tell me about their dreams of becoming neurosurgeons and how I have motivated them. I have given talks to groups of medical students to guide them on their career choices. I also had the opportunity to recommend a fellow female neurosurgeon from another African country for membership to an international neurosurgery organization after she approached me for sponsorship.”

Growing up in a large but close-knit family, Dr. Aliu-Ibrahim says she’d always wanted to become a doctor, from a very young age. A run-in with a young female doctor only strengthened her convictions.

“I enjoy helping and caring for other people. However, one of my earliest role models I'd say is a female doctor at the general hospital of the town where I grew up. I liked her poise and confidence, and this made my desire to become a doctor even stronger.”

Dr. Aliu-Ibrahim was able to see her girlhood dreams come to fruition, attending medical school at the University of Ilorin and focusing on neurosurgery.

“I like to describe the nervous system as an enchanting system of the human body. It is delicate, intricate, and controls all the other systems of the body,” Dr. Aliu-Ibrahim said. “So, I fell in love with studying the nervous system. When it came to making my first career choice, neurosurgery naturally appealed to me, being someone who is very hands-on.”

She graduated at the top of her class from the University of Ilorin in 2004. She immediately underwent preliminary general surgery training at National Hospital Abuja before undertaking specialized training at the Regional Center for Neurosurgery overseen by Professor BB Shehu at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, in northwestern Nigeria. She completed her neurosurgery training at National Hospital Abuja in 2014, becoming Nigeria’s first woman neurosurgeon and her name and face recognized nationwide.

Her Wikipedia page highlights a case study she and a handful of colleagues wrote during her neurosurgery residency concerning the knotting of the nasogastric tube as a possible complication of nasogastric tube placement.

“I am proud that we were able to publish it,” she said.

She fell in love with the United States between 2018 and 2019 during a one-year subspecialty fellowship training in pediatric neurosurgery at Boston Children’s Hospital, the primary teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School.

“I returned to Nigeria after my training, continuing to work as an attending neurosurgeon. However, after some time, I wanted better opportunities for professional growth,” Dr. Aliu-Ibrahim said. “I decided to move to the U.S. While I initially set out to practice neurosurgery in the U.S., I did not match into a neurosurgery residency. So, I decided to go for pediatrics, which is a field I also love.”

She underwent residency training in general pediatrics at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.

“After my pediatric residency training, I needed to find a job in an area designated medically underserved due to my visa type. Joplin, Missouri fits that description, and that is how I found my way to Freeman Health System. This is my home now.”

Her journey to Southwest Missouri, she estimates, has been five years in the making. She’s called Joplin home for several months now, a wife and mother of three boys.

“I don't think I could have chosen a better first job as a pediatrician,” Dr. Aliu-Ibrahim continued. “I love the sense of camaraderie that exists in the workplace here at Freeman. Even though I have only been here for a short time, I really enjoy being part of the Freeman family. To me, Freeman Health System means teamwork. No one is an island. We are all working together for the same goal of getting the best outcomes for our patients.”

Dr. Aliu-Ibrahim is one of multiple new pediatricians now accepting patients within Freeman Health System. To make an appointment, call Freeman Children's Clinic at 417.347.8750.