Omar I Ceesay

Bio

Omar was born in Banjulinding, The Gambia and moved to the United States to play soccer at Western Nebraska Community College (WNCC). He then transferred to the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), where he completed a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. He worked as an Emergency Department (ED) and Neuro-rehab nurse for three years, and subsequently enrolled into the UNMC College of Medicine. He is part of the 2027 graduation class.

Omar's interest in neurosurgery predates medical school. He is particularly interested in Global Neurosurgery and Neurotrauma. He has an ongoing research on ways to optimize neurosurgical care in underserved areas of the world. His time at Stanford will be spent on tumor and functional EEG research, under the tutelage of Dr. Melanie Hayden-Gephart and Dr. Ashwin Ramayya, respectively. In his free time, Omar enjoys playing soccer and board games.

Current Role at Stanford

Neurosurgery researcher

Honors & Awards

• Stanford University Neurosurgery Research Award, Stanford University, Department of Neurosurgery (2024)
• National Society of Leadership and Success Induction, National Society of Leadership and Success (2018)
• NJCAA Athlete Academic-All American, National Junior College Athletic Association (2017)
• President's Honor List, Western Nebraska Community College (2015)
• Most outstanding student award, St. Peter's Senior Secondary School (2014)

Education & Certifications

• MD Candidate (Class of 2027), University of Nebraska Medical Center, College of Medicine, Medicine (2023)
• Bachelor of Science in Nursing, University of Nebraska Medical Center, College of Nursing, Nursing (2020)