Oluwaferanmi Okanlami, MD
Professor of Medicine & Advocate for Health Equity and Inclusion
Dr. Oluwaferanmi Okanlami is an Assistant Professor of Family Medicine & Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and serves as the Director of Medical Student Programs in the Office For Health Equity and Inclusion at Michigan Medicine. Dr. Okanlami was born in Nigeria before immigrating to the US at a young age. He has spoken around the country on topics related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, including, but not limited to the lack of black male physicians, the need to demonstrate that disability does not mean inability, and creating a health system that is accessible and inclusive to both patients and providers with disabilities.
Dr. Oluwaferanmi Okanlami is an Assistant Professor of Family Medicine & Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and serves as the Director of Medical Student Programs in the Office For Health Equity and Inclusion at Michigan Medicine.
Dr. Okanlami was born in Nigeria before immigrating to the US at a young age. He attended High School at Deerfield Academy and college at Stanford University where he also ran Track & Field serving as captain his last two seasons and achieving Academic All American recognition.
Dr. Okanlami then earned his M.D from the University of Michigan before matching into Orthopedic Surgery at Yale. At the beginning of his 3rd year he experienced a spinal cord injury, paralyzing him from the chest down. After two surgeries and intense rehabilitation, he was blessed with some return of motor function.
Dr. Okanlami went on to earn a Master’s degree in Engineering, Science, and Technology Entrepreneurship from The University of Notre Dame, and completed his Family Medicine Residency at Memorial Hospital in South Bend, Indiana. He served on the St. Joseph County Board of Health, appointed by Mayor Pete Buttigieg; is the VP of the River City Challenged Athletes, a non-profit that supports the local adaptive sports teams; wheelchair basketball and sled hockey. He was the Chairman of the capital campaign for St. Joseph County Clubhouse, a community organization for people with serious mental illness, and is the Director of Design the Future: Midwest, a summer program that teaches high school students to utilize design thinking and entrepreneurship to create solutions for problems facing people with disabilities. He was awarded one of Michiana’s 2017 Forty under Forty awards and has a catch phrase, “Disabusing DisabilityTM,” hoping to demonstrate that DISability doesn’t necessarily mean INability, with a goal of creating a health system that is both inclusive and accessible for all.
He has spoken around the country on topics related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, including, but not limited to the lack of black male physicians, the need to demonstrate that disability does not mean inability, and creating a health system that is accessible and inclusive to both patients and providers with disabilities. Now at Michigan Medicine, he is helping to lead efforts to create an adaptive sports program, providing access to physical fitness and recreational and competitive sports for all.
Dr. Okanlami was born in Nigeria before immigrating to the US at a young age. He attended High School at Deerfield Academy and college at Stanford University where he also ran Track & Field serving as captain his last two seasons and achieving Academic All American recognition.
Dr. Okanlami then earned his M.D from the University of Michigan before matching into Orthopedic Surgery at Yale. At the beginning of his 3rd year he experienced a spinal cord injury, paralyzing him from the chest down. After two surgeries and intense rehabilitation, he was blessed with some return of motor function.
Dr. Okanlami went on to earn a Master’s degree in Engineering, Science, and Technology Entrepreneurship from The University of Notre Dame, and completed his Family Medicine Residency at Memorial Hospital in South Bend, Indiana. He served on the St. Joseph County Board of Health, appointed by Mayor Pete Buttigieg; is the VP of the River City Challenged Athletes, a non-profit that supports the local adaptive sports teams; wheelchair basketball and sled hockey. He was the Chairman of the capital campaign for St. Joseph County Clubhouse, a community organization for people with serious mental illness, and is the Director of Design the Future: Midwest, a summer program that teaches high school students to utilize design thinking and entrepreneurship to create solutions for problems facing people with disabilities. He was awarded one of Michiana’s 2017 Forty under Forty awards and has a catch phrase, “Disabusing DisabilityTM,” hoping to demonstrate that DISability doesn’t necessarily mean INability, with a goal of creating a health system that is both inclusive and accessible for all.
He has spoken around the country on topics related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, including, but not limited to the lack of black male physicians, the need to demonstrate that disability does not mean inability, and creating a health system that is accessible and inclusive to both patients and providers with disabilities. Now at Michigan Medicine, he is helping to lead efforts to create an adaptive sports program, providing access to physical fitness and recreational and competitive sports for all.
Topics:
- Disabusing DisabilityTM: Demonstrating That DISability Doesn't Mean INability
Learning Objectives: At the end of the session each participant should:
- Have expanded their definition of what "Diversity" can mean in medicine.
- Be able to acknowledge their own implicit biases when it comes to diversity (regarding disability, race, etc..)
- Learn how certain places are advocating to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in medicine.
- Leave with the understanding that disability doesn't necessary mean inability, and with the desire to disseminate that knowledge throughout their respective institutions. - Inclusion in Diversity
Looking for a speaker? Let us help you.
All fields are required.