Oladipo Adedeji

• Black/African American
• Individuals from a socially or economically disadvantaged backgrounds (e.g., individuals who were or are currently homeless or in the foster care system; were eligible for federal food and nutrition programs [for 2 or more years]; were eligible for Pell grants; received WIC; have/had no parents or legal guardians who completed a bachelor's degree; grew up in a rural or low-income area)

• Student/Trainee Assistant
• Student/Trainee Scholarship

• Wednesday, June 11, 2025 (Afternoon)
• Thursday, June 12, 2025 (Morning)
• Thursday, June 12, 2025 (Afternoon)
• Friday, June 13, 2025 (Morning)
• Friday, June 13, 2025 (Afternoon)
• Saturday, June 14, 2025 (Morning)

I am an aspiring board-certified pediatric neuropsychologist and educator. Therefore, I place high value in education, servant leadership, and multicultural competence. Since my undergraduate experience at Bowie State University, I felt called to serve my community. As Mr. African Student Association (2008-2009) and President of the African Student Association (2009-2010), I helped raise over $10,000. Approximately $3500 went to scholarships and school supplies for students in Africa affiliated with several nonprofit organizations. These organizations included Friends of Congo, the Dreams Fulfillment Foundation, and the United Movement to End Child Soldiering. Since that time, I have served diverse communities in several capacities, such as an educator at my alma mater, licensed clinical professional counselor in Maryland, a neuropsychology student at Fuller Theological Seminary, and worship leader in my local church. I hope my education, training, and career will help foster communities that collaboratively address the mental health needs of marginalized children, adolescents, and emerging adults in the U.S. and Africa.

My research interest in resilience in children, adolescents, and emerging adults stems from personal experience. After my father died from cancer and type 2 diabetes in February 2009, my family and faith community helped me reach my senior year of college in September 2011. However, several traumatic events I can only describe as spiritual affected my health and threatened my goal of graduating. Seeking guidance from churches and other community leaders produced mixed results. While some conversations left me feeling penalized and abandoned by God, other discussions helped me refocus and regain hope, especially through Christian music. After graduating with honors, I now use expressive arts as a worship leader, pastoral counselor, and psychology student to facilitate healing in others. My journey of resilience and my faith informed my current research interest, which is resilience in adolescent girls with histories of sex trafficking.

I feel excited that the AACN 2025 Conference will include workshops on neuropsychology’s role in supporting medically complex patients transitioning to adulthood and social determinants of health and health equity in neuropsychology. I anticipate that actively engaging with my fellow volunteers and other conference participants about these topics will sensitize me to the latest research on the holistic needs of disenfranchised children, adolescents, and emerging adults in several settings. I recently applied for pre-internship experiences in several hospitals that serve in high-needs neighborhoods and patient populations who come from low socioeconomic status backgrounds. I enjoy learning different concepts and strategies that help me to quickly gain rapport and facilitate partnerships between caregivers and medical treatment teams. Facilitating alliances in fast-paced environments appears to hinge on expressing empathy and understanding of social determinants of patients' health and impairments. Therefore, I look forward to new research that could add to my repertoire of collaborative strategies in medical settings.