Healing Hands, Hero Heart
By Nate Ziegner | Photography by Tommie Morelos
Set against the backdrop of a wall adorned with honors and the constant notification chime from residents, students and fellow faculty, it is easy to grasp the footprint Dr. Sitratullah Maiyegun is leaving at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso (Texas Tech Health El Paso).
This impact, most recently highlighted by Dr. Maiyegun’s selection to receive the Chancellor’s Council Distinguished Teaching Award—one of the highest honors given to faculty at the Texas Tech University System (TTU System)—traces back to her roots as a young girl in Nigeria.
Always entranced by the workings of the human body, she craved intellectual challenges that would make her a lifelong learner. While caring for a family member, she finally found her purpose to become a doctor.
“My grandmother had a lot of health challenges,” she said. “In helping take care of her, I knew I wanted to help others through medicine.”
That altruistic motivation led her to the College of Medicine at the University of Lagos. After completing her residency training there and obtaining additional medical certifications in the United Kingdom and Kuwait, Dr. Maiyegun’s next stop was the U.S.
Chasing the “American Dream” for herself and her children, Dr. Maiyegun interviewed all over the country but felt drawn to El Paso due to the critical need for medical care in the area.
“Everywhere I interviewed had too many doctors,” Dr. Maiyegun said. “I went back to Kuwait and told them there was a place I needed to go. El Paso was underserved, and it felt like a calling; I wanted to be in a place that needed doctors the most.”
Since 2005, Dr. Maiyegun has called Texas home, witnessing the growth and transformational influence Texas Tech Health El Paso has had on the Borderplex, a region that includes the three-city metro of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico; El Paso, Texas; and Las Cruces, New Mexico. For almost 20 years, she has used her passion for pediatrics to train doctors and treat patients, improving the overall quality of life for residents in El Paso and the surrounding communities.
“One of the most important things I teach my students is their significant impact on not only the patient but the family,” Dr. Maiyegun said. “We have to compare ourselves to superheroes—we have the power to save lives. While I don’t wear a cape, I have the ability to advocate for a child who has been maltreated and advocate for the prevention of abuse. I don’t only help them medically.”
Her humanitarian-centered drive for children in the Borderplex is coupled with her ability to teach others—students and patients alike. As a professor, she has seen future health care leaders blossom from Texas Tech Health El Paso, many of whom are first-generation students and medical care providers.
“My mission, and that of Texas Tech Health El Paso, is to provide first-class care and research to the communities we serve,” she said. “We train individuals who learn and leave with the priority of keeping their community healthy.”
With a contagious zeal for pediatrics, Dr. Maiyegun continues to bridge both the academic and medical worlds, allowing her to develop multidimensional relationships with her residents.
Seth Smith, a fourth-year medical student at Texas Tech Health El Paso, became one of those proteges during his time at the Borderplex and now shares Dr. Maiyegun’s soft spot for treating children.
“When I decided to go to medical school, I was interested in geriatrics,” Smith said. “But between my first and second year, I did a preceptorship, a shadowing experience, with Dr. Maiyegun. For three weeks, I was exposed to pediatrics by her and absolutely loved it.”
Using this intrigue, Smith decided to cultivate experience in pediatrics under Dr. Maiyegun’s mentorship, with the goal of pursuing pediatric cardiology. During their time together, the two have formed a collaborative bond in the classroom and on the hospital floor.
Smith credits Dr. Maiyegun with redirecting him to pediatrics and helping him develop a response to the needs of the underserved Borderplex community.
Dr. Maiyegun’s devotion to her community and students is reciprocated by the many accolades she has received over the years. Most moving of all was learning she had been selected as a recipient of the 2024 Chancellor’s Council Distinguished Teaching Award.
Taking a few steps back mentally, she told herself this award validated years of hard work and sacrifice. When notified, feeling grateful and humbled to be chosen, she began crying. To her, the award was a signal of appreciation from the entire TTU System. They saw her and knew what she and others at Texas Tech Health El Paso were doing for the public.
The magnitude of her award-winning moment culminated when her family flew in—some from the other side of the globe—to witness her acceptance.
“Everyone came, even my nurses and residents, and I was emotionally overwhelmed,” Dr. Maiyegun said. “It really showed the unrelenting love of family and friends—my true driving force.”
Luckily for her patients, students and fellow teachers, life for Dr. Maiyegun post-award looks no different, with the exception of fueling her dedication to pediatrics and medicine even further. She plans to continue researching, advocating for and serving the El Paso community wholeheartedly. She is not stopping anytime soon.
Her ultimate hope is that someone from a similar background, a young girl from a big family, uncertain about pursuing medicine, can draw inspiration from her story and set goals that positively impact others.
“Setting these goals promotes personal fulfillment and community at all levels,” Dr. Maiyegun said. “The most important thing I want students to know is they can take control of their lives in a way that enables the betterment of others.”