Kola Okuyemi, MD, MPH

Appointment

Professor

Program

Program in Health Disparities Research, Director

Expertise

Smoking cessation, cancer prevention, minority health, health disparities, community engagement

Education

MD, University of Ilorin
MPH, University of Kansas

Bio Summary

Okuyemi has devoted his career to improving the health of minorities and eliminating health disparities using pharmacological and culturally tailored behavioral interventions. He has received funding for research and educational programs from NIH and private foundations totaling $28 million and mentored a large number of faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate and undergraduate students. As director of the Medical School Program in Health Disparities, he leads a dynamic interdisciplinary team of more than 25 junior, mid-career, and senior health disparities research scientists.

Contact Information

717 Delaware St SE, Ste 166
Minneapolis, MN 55414
612-625-1654
kokuyemi@umn.edu

Current Grants

2011-16, NCI, co-PI, “Cancer-Related Health Disparities Education and Career Development Program”

2013-15, National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities, co-investigator, "Promoting Health and Positive Youth Development for Somali, Latino, and Hmong Youth"

2010-15, NCI, PI, "Minnesota Community Networks Center for Eliminating Cancer Disparities"

2009-14, NIH/NCI, PI, “A Randomized Trial to Improve Tobacco Cessation Skills among Medical Students”

2009-13, NIH/NHLBI, PI, “Enhancing NRT Adherence and Outcomes in Homeless Smokers”

Recent Publications

Okuyemi KS, Goldade K, Whembolua GL, Thomas JL, Eischen S, Guo H, et al. Smoking characteristics and comorbidities from the Power to Quit Clinical Trial for Homeless Smokers. Nicotine and Tobacco Research. 2013;15(1):22-8.

Whembolua GL, Davis JT, Reitzel LR, Guo H, Thomas JL, Goldade K, Okuyemi KS, Ahluwalia JS. Subjective social status predicts smoking abstinence among light smokers. Am J Health Behav. 2012;36(5):639-46.

Cox LS, Nollen NL, Mayo M, Choi WS, Faseru B, Benowitz NL, Tyndale RF, Okuyemi KS, et al. Bupropion for smoking cessation in African American light smokers: A randomized controlled trial. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2012;104(4):290-8.

Goldade K, Whembolua GL, Thomas J, Eischen S, Guo H, Connett J…Okuyemi KS. Designing a smoking cessation intervention for the unique needs of homeless persons: A community-based randomized clinical trial. Clin Trials. 2011;8(6):744-54.