Lagos, Nigeria (CNN) Neurosurgeons are known as skilled operators. But straddling surgeries across two continents? That's a different skill entirely.

Dr. Olawale Sulaiman, 49, is a professor of neurosurgery and spinal surgery and chairman for the neurosurgery department and back and spine center at the Ochsner Neuroscience Institute in New Orleans. He lives in Louisiana, but splits his time between the US and Nigeria, spending up to 12 days each month providing healthcare in the country of his birth -- sometimes for free.

Born in Lagos Island, Lagos, Sulaiman says his motivation comes from growing up in a relatively poor region.

"I am one of 10 children born into a polygamous family. My siblings and I shared one room where we often found ourselves sleeping on a mat on the floor," he told CNN.

Dr. Olawale Sulaiman.

His parents could not afford his university tuition, but Sulaiman said at the age of 19, he received a scholarship to study medicine in Bulgaria through the Bureau for External Aid, a Nigerian government program targeted at improving the quality of life for Nigeria's most vulnerable communities.

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