As a clinical pharmacist, Oluwafemi Popoola, PharmD '21, approaches science with an artistic mindset, wrapping his head around complex ideas and finding creative solutions.
And as a singer, song-writer and producer, he uses science to craft melodies designed to catch the listener's ear. Under the name Frank Pierce, his song "Vibe" went gold in Norway and has drawn nearly 30 million views on Spotify.
"One of my favorite phrases to say is that I like approaching science as an art and art as a science," says Popoola, who was a top student in the first class at the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
Both music and pharmacy run in the family. A native of Nigeria, Popoola moved to the United States when he was 6, and was largely raised in Rockland County, N.Y. Both music and helping others are integral parts of Nigerian culture; he grew up in a "house full of drummers," he says, and his mother works as a community pharmacist.
"Watching her work made an indelible mark on me as a kid, and it was something I could see myself doing as well," he recounts.
After earning his bachelor's in biological sciences from the University at Buffalo, he decided to follow her footsteps into the profession and enrolled in SOPPS' inaugural pharmacy class. The SOPPS building wasn't quite finished at the time; Popoola remembers the squeaky chairs that first semester in a lecture hall without electrical outlets, shared with undergraduates studying for their finals. Experiences like this forged close ties among classmates.
"For the first class, the pharmacy school was an idea that we all had," he says. "It was a culmination of the people, the professors, the infrastructure and the belief that after four years we were going to get a degree."
Popoola recently accepted a job as a clinical pharmacy specialist at Rochester General Hospital, moving from his previous post at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center, where he worked in acute care. At Niagara Falls, he was also a residency preceptor, which means he taught licensed pharmacists undergoing a year of postgraduate training to develop the specialized skills needed to work in a hospital. He completed a residency himself at Niagara Falls after graduating from Binghamton.
As a preceptor, Popoola found himself explaining concepts in the same way that his professors did during lectures - a demonstration of how impactful those professors were.
"The professors at Binghamton are, in my humble opinion, some of the best. They went above and beyond for us, and were always so approachable and willing to teach; their offices were always open," he says.
PITCH PERFECT
For the past several years, pharmacy has been in the forefront as he establishes himself in the field. He still makes time for music, however, and his UK-based record label accommodates his work schedule.
Popoola began playing piano when he was 9, picking up the saxophone, guitar and bass in the years since. He began writing pop songs and put out his first EP with a record label in 2014, signing with Sony in 2017. In addition to his work as Frank Pierce, he has a new recording project as Femi.
"It's such an honor, being able to write songs with my friends and share it with a lot of people," he says. "It goes right back to the way I was raised to do things in service for and with other people."
Drawing on his science background, Popoola takes a methodical approach to songwriting, analyzing the factors that contribute to a tune's success, from instrumentation and drum
work to vocal melodies and chord progression. For example, he might discover a particular drum pattern prominent in Top 10 songs between 2004 and 2014. Then, he chooses the most successful elements to assemble his tune.
"I'm a bit of a nerd when it comes to studying both music and science," he jokes. "I love medicine and I love music, and I'm going to keep doing them forever. I just figure out a way to make it fit."
