2024 Alumni Award Recipient
Fall 2024
Outstanding Young Alumni Award
Dr. Tsedey Biru-Williams ’11
Neurology fellow at University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Major: Biology and pre-medicine
Passion for success
For as long as she could remember, Tsedey Biru-Williams wanted to do something in the medical field. Her experience growing up seeing the impacts improper healthcare treatment can have on individuals led her to seek out change in healthcare.
“I wanted to make sure I could help change somebody else’s future, so they don’t have to see the impacts of poor healthcare,” said Biru-Williams.
Biru-Williams moved from Ethiopia to the United States when she was in high school. After having only lived in the U.S. for a few years, Biru-Williams came to Bluffton University and developed a passion for healthcare.
“If it wasn’t for Bluffton, I don’t think I would be where I am today,” said Biru-Williams. “I was able to be in a small community in which my professors knew me, supported me and provided me with opportunities to help me succeed.”
Discerning the path
After graduation, Biru-Williams worked at Ohio Health Riverside Hospital in Columbus for three years. During this time Biru-Williams tried to discern which career path of health care she wanted to pursue. Attending medical school was the path Biru-Williams chose. She graduated from Ohio University in 2020 with a doctorate in osteopathic medicine, focusing on neurology.
Path to success
A driving factor Biru-Williams credits for her success today is a student organization she co-founded in medical school. Biru-Williams and a classmate started this student led group, Future Physicians for Patients, with the goal of gaining education and advocacy for patients in healthcare.
“Being a part of this student group allowed me to try to make changes in patient care to help understand where patients are coming from,” said Biru-Williams. “I was really passionate about making sure everyone who graduated from medical school was educated on the factors which impact our patients.”
After graduating from Ohio University, Biru-Williams began rotations near Dayton. Biru-Williams took what she learned from co-founding the group in medical school to kick start another organization in the Dayton area. This organization focused on bridging the gap between patients that are underserved and healthcare.
“We wanted to make sure we were reaching out to the community in the way in which they felt heard and had their questions answered,” said Biru-Williams.
Biru-Williams now lives near Cincinnati area with her husband, Aaron, and their new daughter Abrielle.