“Olajide is an exemplary graduate student in our program. His dissertation will take pharmacy workforce research in a fundamentally new direction with his focus on work-systems rather than individuals. Olajide is a wonderful member of our college community.” -Matthew Witry, associate professor, health services research

Hometown: Ekiti State, Nigeria

Faculty mentor/advisor: Matthew J. Witry, PharmD, PhD, associate professor, health services research

What is your degree program and expected graduate date? Health services research. Fall 2023.

Please describe your research: Pharmacy organizations are undergoing practice transformations and adopting new care delivery models. My PhD research is focused on learning from resilient systems and providing pharmacy organizations with strategic insights for sustainable and innovative practice transformations that are not only financially viable for the organization, but provide high quality care to patients and create safe and meaningful work for pharmacy professionals

In simple terms, why does this research matter? Our healthcare systems and health professionals were, arguably, the most impacted negatively by the COVID-19 pandemic. Evidence shows that pharmacy organizations were not prepared for a disruptive event like Covid. This is in addition to burnout and job dissatisfaction that were already endemic among pharmacy professionals, with negative implications for quality of care and the professional well-being of workers. My research is aimed at identifying how pharmacy organizations can incorporate readiness and resilience planning into their practice transformation initiatives in the aftermath of Covid, even as they deal with burnout in pharmacy professionals. Resilient pharmacy organizations give us a head start in the event of future disruptions.

How soon after starting at the University of Iowa were you able to participate in research? Immediately!

How has being involved in research made you more successful at the University of Iowa? I happen to be interested in many topics- topics that range from behavioral science to statistics, all the way to policy and management. Doing research in pharmacy has given me the opportunity to connect these topics and unlock insights in profound ways. Now, I can better understand otherwise intractable problems and design studies to find solutions.

What are your career goals and/or plans after graduation? I intend to continue doing research to move the field of pharmacy practice more towards a systems orientation to problem solving.

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