How Kenyan Doctor Switched From Actor to Pediatrician in US

A photo collage of Dr Jonathan Awori (left) and a demonstration of virtual reality in heart defect treatment (right)
A photo collage of Dr Jonathan Awori (left) and a demonstration of virtual reality in heart defect treatment (right)
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Jonathan Awori

Jonathan Awori, born to a Kenyan father and a Scottish mother, started out as a theatre actor before transitioning into a pediatric doctor.

His attraction to acting was due to his mother's love for the humanities subjects. In his acting career, the star played a role of a teacher and attended several universities to perfect his craft.

He earned a Bachelor of Arts in English at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, and a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Theatre with a concentration in acting at Illinois State University in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois.

An image of Dr Jonathan Awori performing in theatre (left) and Awori while in medical school (right)
An image of Dr Jonathan Awori performing in theatre (left) and Awori while in medical school (right)
Jonathan Awori

Awori has equally taught acting, speech, improvisation, and honors humanities seminars at several universities in his career profile.

He has also held the position of Assistant Professor of acting at Murray University as well as Academic Dean of the Commonwealth Honours Academy.

In 2011, Awori, however, shelved his passion for acting to pursue a course in medicine at Havard Medical School.

"My professional journey began as a Theatre professor and professional actor. My interest in the human condition evolved from existential to physiological leading to a career in medicine, where I now have a particular interest in Pediatric Cardiology, Medical Humanities, and Global Health," Awori explained his decision to switch careers.

His passion for medicine saw him write research papers on pediatric health and heart disease - one which touched on congenital heart disease earned him praise from former Environment CS Judi Wakhungu.

“Congratulations Jonathan! Your pioneering research on congenital heart disease is opportune and provides hope to afflicted families,” Wakhungu stated.

His research paper centered around ‘Comparative effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) vs 3D printed models of congenital heart disease in resident and nurse practitioner educational experience.’

A congenital heart defect, which is one of the most common types of birth defect, refers to one or more problems with the heart structure that are present at birth.

Symptoms include abnormal heart rhythms, blue-tinted skin, shortness of breath, failure to feed or develop normally, and swollen body tissue or organs.

Through his research, Awori sought to demystify the clinical value of virtual Reality versus 3D printing in congenital heart disease.

Virtual reality (VR) allows for the interactive manipulation of high-resolution representations of patient-specific imaging data.

Once inside, doctors can see exactly where the defect exists such as a hole in a septum or an improperly attached valve (both common congenital heart defects). 

Equally, the applications of 3D printing in congenital heart surgery can be divided into clinical applications for surgical decision-making and planning.

Awori currently works at the Boston Children's Hospital as a Pediatric Cardiology Fellow in Boston, Massachusetts in the United States.

The doctor joins a long list of Kenyan professionals like John Kamau who are impacting lives and thriving around the globe.

A photo collage of Dr Jonathan Awori's family (left) and Jonathan Awori at work at Boston Children's Hospital.
A photo collage of Dr Jonathan Awori's family (left) and Jonathan Awori at work at Boston Children's Hospital.
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Jonathan Awori
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