Leroy C Edozien (Ph.D), Professor of Health Law and Policy.
I am a medical doctor and a doctor of Law. But my doctorate (PhD Glasgow 2013) in Law was not the PhD I originally wanted.
I wanted a PhD in Reproductive Endocrinology. While on study leave from the University College Hospital, Ibadan, studying for specialisation in Obstetrics and Gynaecology in the UK, I approached the University of Oxford for this PhD. They agreed in principle to offer me a place if I was able to secure funding. I then approached the World Health Organisation (WHO) and was told the WHO funds institutions, not individuals. I was kindly advised, however, that if the Ibadan authorities confirmed I would be in their employment on completion of my studies, they (WHO) would fund the PhD. That way, they would be supporting an institution, not just the individual. In those days we did not have cellphones or email, and land lines in Nigeria were a nightmare. So I sent the WHO form to a colleague at Ibadan who was to obtain the required signature. He took the form to both the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the Hospital and the Provost of the College of Medicine, but neither of them agreed to append their signature. The CMD said although I was on study leave from the hospital, I would be a staff of the University on my return, so it was the Provost who should sign the form, not the CMD. The Provost, on the other hand, said I was not yet his staff, so it was the CMD who should sign, not the Provost. That was how I lost the opportunity to undertake PhD work at Oxford. And Ibadan lost the services of one Oxford-trained reproductive endocrinologist.
My motto has always been ‘aut inveniam viam, aut faciam’ – either I find a path or I create one for myself. So, I decided to pursue a PhD course that would be dependent on my efforts only, and not on the financial or other supports that were in the hands of others. Pursuing a PhD in Law at the University of Glasgow was challenging. It required numerous trips between Manchester, England and Glasgow, Scotland; spending family time (including holidays) with my books, and combining an extremely busy clinical practice with PhD research. At one stage it looked like mission impossible and my supervisor, the legendary Professor Sheila Maclean OBE, asked whether I wouldn’t just settle for an LLM instead of punishing myself and ending with nothing (I was at risk of being time-expired), but I was determined to complete the program. And my determination saw me through. It is one thing to acquire a qualification, and quite another to do something with it. I am proud not only of my LLB, MPhil and PhD degrees in Law, but also of what I have done with them, particularly in respect of my book and journal articles. Glory to the Almighty for this blessing, for guiding me through this path.