This McMaster surgeon mentors people at the top of their game, on and off the field

Known by friends as Femi, Ayeni is a professor in the Department of Surgery at McMaster University and the medical director of two professional sports teams – the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Forge FC. But it’s his upbringing in a big family as one of five children that instilled teamsmanship in him at an early age. “I remember growing up and my parents doing something I thought was brilliant. Whenever I would come back from school and share my grades, they’d almost always say, ‘That’s nice,’ and then suddenly ask about my siblings’ grades,” he says. After a few years of this pattern, Ayeni anticipated his parents’ line of questioning. He started voluntarily asking his siblings about their grades and offering his help. “Over time, my parents kind of built in this model, whereby I didn’t really care about my grades. I started looking more into my siblings’ grades and developing this mindset that it’s okay to be doing well for yourself, but what about the others – the rest of our team? I was

Known by friends as Femi, Ayeni is a professor in the Department of Surgery at McMaster University and the medical director of two professional sports teams – the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Forge FC. But it’s his upbringing in a big family as one of five children that instilled teamsmanship in him at an early age. “I remember growing up and my parents doing something I thought was brilliant. Whenever I would come back from school and share my grades, they’d almost always say, ‘That’s nice,’ and then suddenly ask about my siblings’ grades,” he says. After a few years of this pattern, Ayeni anticip