Dr. Feranmi Okanlami joins NIH Working Group to guide efforts in advancing disability health research
He was selected for his ‘invaluable’ expertise in primary care and rehab for people with disabilities.
Oluwaferanmi O. Okanlami, MD, MS, assistant professor in the Departments of Family Medicine, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Urology, and Orthopaedic Surgery, has been invited to participate as a member of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Disability Health Research Working Group (DHRWG).
The DHRWG is an official Working Group of the NIH Council of Councils, a body that provides advice to NIH officials on matters related to the policies and activities of the Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives.
Okanlami was tapped for his expertise in primary care and rehabilitation for people with disabilities and for promoting adaptive sports and fitness -- credentials the NIH described as “invaluable” for informing its own disability health research efforts.
“I am honored by this invitation to guide disability health research at the highest level of government,” Okanlami said. “As a physician who also leads various services at the University of Michigan that aim to provide equitable access and accommodations for those with disabilities, I’m keenly aware of the need to generate research and foster community engagement that centers the needs of the disability community.”
NIH established the Disability Health Research Program within the Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives in August 2024 to realize the goal of advancing disability health research across the NIH.
The agency defines ‘disability health research’ as work that seeks to understand and address the effects of medical conditions and non-medical factors on the health and well-being of people with disabilities.
The Disability Health Research Program Working Group will advise the Council on the Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives activities that relate to disability health research, including activities of the Disability Health Research Program.
Activities of the Working Group may include advising NIH on the following:
Priorities for the most needed and promising areas of disability health research;
Opportunities for trans-NIH disability health research collaborations;
Strategies for increasing the number of investigators conducting disability health research; and
Approaches for optimizing outreach to disability communities.
“I am eager to begin working with the Disability Health Research Working Group,” Okanlami said. “I am fortunate to be at U-M where this work has been prioritized and supported, and due to that institutional support, we have a growing team of colleagues across the entire campus doing this important work. So, while I am humbled by the opportunity to serve in this capacity, the invitation itself is truly the result of a team effort.”
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Feranmi Okanlami
Clinical Associate Professor
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