Kola Okuyemi, M.D., MPH

Kolawole S. Okuyemi, MD, MPH, is Professor & Chair, Department of Family Medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, where he also holds the OneAmerica Professor of Preventive Health Medicine Chair and serves as Associate Dean of Health Equity Research and Implementation for the School of Medicine. Prior to coming to Indiana, he was Professor and Chair for the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine (DFPM) at the University of Utah Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine where he served as the George D. Gross, MD, and Esther M. Gross, MD, Presidential Endowed Chair in Family and Preventive Medicine. He also served as the Executive Director for Equity Diversity and Inclusion at the Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah. He was founding Co-Director of the Utah Health Equity Leadership & Mentoring (U-HELM) program, a yearlong, cohort-based mentoring program for postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty underrepresented in biomedical disciplines and/or active in health equity research or practice. He received his medical degree from University of Ilorin, Nigeria, completed a family medicine residency and Master of Public Health at the University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas, and a public health research fellowship at the Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.

Dr. Okuyemi’s career in the last two decades is focused on research and training programs to improve the health of underserved populations and to advance health equity using medical and culturally tailored behavioral interventions as well as community-engaged research approaches. Dr Okuyemi has authored nearly 200 peer-reviewed publications. In particular, his research has focused on cancer- and smoking related health disparities experienced by African Americans, Sub-Saharan African immigrants, and persons experiencing homelessness. He was also one of the Principal Investigators awarded the NIH Common Fund grant to establish the National Research Mentoring Network for a Diverse Biomedical Workforce (NRMN), which is a nationwide consortium of biomedical professionals and institutions collaborating to provide enhanced networking and mentorship experiences in support of the career development of trainees from diverse backgrounds in biomedical, behavioral, clinical, and social science research careers. His research has been continuously funded for more than 20 years by NIH with grant awards totaling more than $50million. Dr Okuyemi has a special commitment for mentoring and professional development and has mentored several trainees and faculty, many of whom have gone on to successful biomedical research careers.

Dr. Okuyemi has received prestigious recognition for his work, including the Hames Research Award from the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM; 2021), Lynn and Joan Carmichael Award from the STFM (2021) for Outstanding Leadership, and the Pebbles Fagan Health Award from the Society for Research on Nicotine & Tobacco (2023). Finally, Dr. Okuyemi serves on national advisory boards for several institutions including the Perlmutter Cancer Center (New York University), the Masonic Cancer Center (University of Minnesota), and Arkansas Center for Health Disparities (University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences).

Dr. Okuyemi is a board-certified family medicine physician. In his leisure time, he enjoys playing soccer, exercise, volunteering in churches and various community organizations, and spending time with his family.