This post was updated Feb. 21 at 8:11 p.m.

Abdulkareem Agunbiade is healing the world, one laugh at a time.

An assistant clinical professor of emergency medicine at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, Agunbiade’s academic pursuits started out focused on medicine. However, after his third year of medical school, he said the demanding schedule pointed to burnout, leading him to approach the comedic stage in 2014. Through observing quirky occurrences in his everyday life, Agunbiade said his humor has grown to be equally important to his medical endeavors. Today, he hosts and performs a comedy show every Tuesday at the Prince of Venice in Westwood, where he introduces other comedians to the Los Angeles stand-up landscape.

“It was just living life, seeing what happens – taking the good, the bad, the ugly and turning it into funny jokes and a routine with an interesting punchline at some point,” Agunbiade said. “I think that’s how I’ve gotten inspiration, just by living life.”

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As Nigerian American, and Muslim man in the United States, Agunbiade said his stand-up revolves around themes of identity. Houda Boucekkine, Agunbiade’s close friend who works as a pulmonary physician in LA, said his background allows his humor to stand out. By addressing the microaggressions and challenges of breaking through as a Black physician, Agunbiade brings light to the immigrant struggle humorously, she said.

For instance, fellow comedian Justin Otis said Agunbiade plays on his name – the inverse of the prominent basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – and roasts himself for his sub-average basketball skills. Though a casual joke on the surface, Otis said Agunbiade exposes the stereotypes and societal perceptions of race and what it means to be an Nigerian American in the U.S.

Boucekkine said she knows Agunbiade to be a very creative person with an artistic mind. Through the avenue of stand-up comedy, Agunbiade could pursue the people-loving, creative aspect of his extroverted personality that the structured nature of medicine would not allow for, Boucekkine said. Moreover, Agunbiade said the constant challenge of on-the-spot thinking and staying educated on current events kept him motivated to take the stage frequently. From medicine to stand-up comedy, he said the process of failing and trying again has defined his story, but his drive to be better pushes him past every upcoming obstacle.

“I’ve often been someone who was always trying to continue pushing the limit,” Agunbiade said. “It’s become a passion – it’s something that’s allowed me to keep a balance between a world that is very challenging of itself, which is medicine, but this is also a world that gives me a lot to talk about, think about, continue to read about the world.”

Since comedy can often become controversial, Agunbiade said he runs the risk of tarnishing his image in the medical industry, making it difficult to balance the two sides of his life. However, despite their seemingly contradictory natures, they come together in that the foundation of both fields is understanding how the human mind works, Otis said. The chaos that encompasses the emergency room has trained him to adapt to the situation at hand, Agunbiade said, giving him the skills of flexibility and perceptiveness of his audience that also allow him to succeed in his set. Boucekkine said the two correlate in the pressure inherent to both professions. Thus, whether it’s treating a critical patient or switching gears to get laughs, Agunbiade’s careers demand the ability to regulate stress in a quick, calm manner, Boucekkine said.

“I think you have to be OK with dealing with some pressure – … different types of pressure, but it’s pressure nonetheless,” Boucekkine said. “Having that ability to think on your feet quickly – to be able to manage and regulate the stress and pressure around you – helps in both fields and complements each other.”

Comedy has an important role in the medical world, with many turning to humor as a coping mechanism in sad times, Boucekkine said. People enter the ER on some of their worst days, Agunbiade said, and he takes it upon himself to lighten the mood and provide respite from their pain. Just as humor can relieve suffering by providing an escape, it can subtly reinforce critical worldly matters that audiences may ignore, Agunbiade said. Through his platform, he has the opportunity to speak up about ongoing conflicts, racism and politics – topics that would otherwise make avoidant audiences uncomfortable, he added.

Starting out in Washington, D.C., Agunbiade said the highly political landscape geared his set towards political humor. In a similar fashion, when catering to a diverse audience, he said he draws upon his immigrant origins. Despite such discrepancies in his audience, Agunbiade said he seeks out contemporary, internationally aware people who are alike in their shared curiosity of the world. He said he hopes to reach beyond the cisgender white man to broader, inclusive audiences and leave them laughing with a fresh perspective on the matter at hand.

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In the ever-changing, rapidly expanding stand-up field, Agunbiade said he stands out because no one else has his story. Staying true to his origins is crucial as a comedian, since that is the only thing that is solely his, he said. Taking his story forward, Agunbiade said he hopes to pursue his dual expertise, honing his hard work in the medical field with his passion for the stage. Most of all, Agunbiade wishes to leave neither joy behind and continue to grow in each profession, perhaps even securing a Netflix special one day, he added.

“If I’m able to reach a pinnacle within comedy, I don’t really ever want to leave medicine. … Maybe this is the immigrant in me,” Agunbiade said. “I like to keep one foot in the door as much as I can, regardless of how high my star grows within comedy. I hope I’m able to strive for balance within those worlds, whatever that means in the future.”