DREAM Scholar Dr. Oluwatosin Leshi Hopes to Advance Diabetes Education in Kentucky

LEXINGTON, Ky. ( July 25, 2024) - Inspired by Hippocrates' timeless saying, "Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food," Oluwatosin “Tosin” Leshi, PhD, earned his bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in human nutrition from the University of Ibadan in his home country, Nigeria. 

He relocated to the Commonwealth to support his wife, who was then a graduate student at the University of Kentucky, but shared “the researcher in me became restless— I needed to get involved in some kind of research-related activities somehow because of my passion and energy for research.”

That’s when he discovered UK HealthCare’s Office of Observation and Learning Experience (OLE). 

The OLE supports health care professionals' career development, education, and training by providing observations and learning experiences in clinical areas and business professional departments. These opportunities are available to observers interested in a brief shadowing experience, students as part of academic credit or training experiences, and researchers interested in volunteering with ongoing research efforts. 

Dr. Leshi applied as a research volunteer and was placed in the UK College of Medicine Department of Family and Community Medicine.

“Through my OLE experience, I was able to keenly observe the collaborative nature of research here,” said Dr. Leshi. “There’s a sense of community among researchers, including clinical faculty and administrative staff. They’re so supportive of research, professional development, and mentoring— I knew I wanted to stay here and contribute my quota.” 

In 2023, he began his postdoctoral studies under the guidance of his mentor, Brittany Smalls, PhD, MHSA, MSHPsych, associate professor of family medicine. 

“She’s been my navigator, my anchor, and my sponsor.”

“I can categorically say that Dr. Smalls is not just a researcher, but a science leader. I could say so much about the role she’s played in my life so far,” Dr. Leshi said. “She has made my training experience seamless, and I am proud to attribute my continuous growth and relevance as a researcher to her support.” 

Through her mentorship, Dr. Leshi not only honed his grantsmanship skills but also forged meaningful collaborations and expanded his professional network. He has submitted grants, both in primary and co-investigator roles, submitted manuscripts for publication, and will be presenting at two national conferences later this summer.

“As I progress in my career in the field of nutrition, I realize that there are so many untapped potentials and roles of nutrition for disease prevention and management,” said Dr. Leshi. “That's what made me focus so much of my energy on research, and that's what my research has always been about—using nutrition knowledge and research to abate the burden of nutrition-related diseases in the community.” 

Dr. Leshi is also one of four College of Medicine members selected as a 2024 Disparities Researchers Equalizing Access for Minorities (DREAM) Scholar. The DREAM Scholars Program supports the training of exceptional underrepresented minority pre-docs, postdocs, and assistant professors committed to health equity research. 

During the two-year DREAM program, scholars receive intensive career development and human subjects research training emphasizing health equity research methods (e.g. community-based participatory research and dissemination and implementation science). Each scholar works with a mentor to create an individual development plan, while the community of other scholars provides exposure to multidisciplinary research and translational science. Pilot funding and conference travel support are provided as well. 

Dr. Leshi’s DREAM project is a feasibility study on gamifying diabetes education to enhance diabetes knowledge and self-management among Kentucky households. Recognizing the alarming prevalence of diabetes in Kentucky, particularly among minority and underserved populations, Dr. Leshi is interested in finding innovative ways to increase health literacy and diabetes education.

At this stage of the project, he’s collecting data to explore the perceptions of individuals living with Type 2 diabetes, or members of their household, on the potential of using a game-based approach to engage in diabetes education.

Dr. Leshi shares that over the last year, he’s “really been able to hone in and define his research niche." Through his research and unique experiences as an international scholar, he aims to produce culturally tailored diabetes interventions, particularly for immigrant populations in Kentucky and across the U.S. 

Dr. Leshi is inspired by the support he receives from Dr. Smalls, as well as other mentors like Aaron Kruse-Diehr, PhD, associate professor of family and community medicine; Alison Gustafson, PhD, RDN, UK College of Arts and Sciences Department of Dietetics and Human Nutrition; and Adebola Adegboyega, PhD, RN, UK College of Nursing, to name a few. Now, he wants to “pay-it-forward." He was recruited to participate as a mentor in the Center for Graduate and Professional Diversity Initiatives’ (CGPDI) Start-to-Finish mentorship program. 

The Start-to-Finish mentorship program is a joint effort between CGPDI, the Graduate Student Congress, and The Graduate School as a multi-tiered intervention and support strategy to support learners from historically underrepresented populations in undergraduate, graduate, and professional fields of study. With pride, Dr. Leshi shared that he’s been able to connect with his mentee to discuss education, research, and future career goals. 

“I just finished the first year of my postdoc and I have already had so many discoveries,” shared Dr. Leshi. “I spent most of the year familiarizing myself with the system, and with research, but I have been able to achieve so much growth thanks to the support of my mentors, leadership of the DREAM Scholars program, Joseph Lutz, PhD, director of postdoctoral affairs at UK, and my colleagues.”

The University of Kentucky Center for Clinical and Translational Science is supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number UL1TR001998. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.