Dr. Bennet Omalu, born in September of 1968 in Nnokwa, Nigeria, is most known for his discovery of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). Omalu started his education career at age 12 studying at the Federal Government College in Enugu. When he was 16 he began medical school at the University of Nigeria. While serving his residency at Harlem Hospital Center, he discovered his interest in pathology. Omalu moved to Pittsburgh in 1999 to train under Cyril Wecht at the Allegheny County Coroner’s Office. He continued to go to school at the University of Pittsburgh, where he completed a fellowship in neuropathy in 2002 and a master’s in public health and epidemiology in 2004. Omalu examined the body of Mike Webster, the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers former center, while working at the coroner’s office in Pittsburgh. Webster suffered from a heart attack at age 50, which caused his death. Before his death, however, the former center was …show more content…
The movie Concussion was made which revealed Omalu’s story to the world. The release of Concussion was the ultimate vindication for all his hard work and dedication he put into studying CTE. Along with being the chief medical examiner at San Joaquin County, Omalu is also the president of Bennet Omalu Pathology and the associate clinical professor of pathology at UC Davis Medical Center. Omalu strived for the truth, but it was more than he expected. He once stated, “There are times I wish I never looked at Mike Webster’s brain. It has dragged me into worldly affairs I do not want to be associated with. Human meanness, wickedness and selfishness. People trying to cover up, to control how information is released. I started this not knowing I was walking into a minefield. That is my only regret.” Although studying CTE has given Omalu and incredibly heavy weight to bare, it has brought up the truth of what some athletes put themselves through, and it has given us the opportunity to help