Onome Osokpo

Onome Osokpo, winner of the 2019 M. Elizabeth Carnegie African American Scholarship, earned a Bachelor of Science in nursing degree at Stony Brook University and a Master of Science in nursing in the Adult and Gerontology Nurse Practitioner Program at the University of Pennsylvania. His degrees prior to nursing comprise a Bachelor of Science in chemistry, education and a Master of Science in analytical chemistry.

Onome is an Associate Fellow, Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, a 2018-20 Jonas Scholar, a Fontaine Scholar, and a Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA Doctoral Fellow and participated in research on “Vulnerable Women, Children, and Families” (T32NR007100) at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. His current research interests focus on black populations in the U.S., which are disproportionately affected by cardiovascular diseases. He is particularly interested in identifying societal and cultural factors influencing self-care behaviors and healthcare utilization—especially the intersections of these factors—in foreign-born (African and Caribbean Immigrants) blacks living with cardiovascular diseases in the US.

Onome is an adjunct lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. He previously served as a member of the Diversity Committee of New York State Action Coalition and was a board member of New Careers in Nursing Scholars Association. As a consultant and presenter for the Philadelphia Corporation of Aging, he develops and delivers evidence-based disease prevention and health promotion talks to older adults at senior centers within Philadelphia. Last year, Onome developed and presented the “Every Breath You Take” program aimed at helping older adults understand up-to-date strategies for risk reduction and self-care of COPD.

As a member of AACN inaugural Graduate Nursing Student Academy Policy Committee, Onome worked with other members to develop programs and resources directly addressing gaps in knowledge about the legislative and advocacy process among graduate nursing students. He was involved in activating grassroots advocacy efforts leading to an amendment of the VA provider's regulation granting full practice authority to four APRN roles. Onome is also a member of Sigma Theta Tau International, Eastern Nursing Research Society, America Heart Association, Heart Failure Society of America and Heart Failure Assocation of the European Society of Cardiology. He serves as a journal reviewer for three academic journals.

Onome’s long-term goal is to work with a multidisciplinary research team to generate scientific evidence that will inform the development of tailored behavioral interventions to improve self-care behaviors, decrease disease-related hospitalizations, and increase health-related quality of life in our diverse patient populations in the US and globally. He plans to seek a tenure-track position at research-intensive institution after his doctoral studies.