Dr. Okanlami joined the "Dwyer School of Health Sciences" in August 2019 as the Endowed Bicentennial Chair of Palliative Care and Clinical Assistant Professor of Health Sciences. Dr. Okanlami came to IU South Bend after a medical career in Pediatric Critical Care, serving as Medical Director for Pediatric Critical Care and Pediatric Emergency Transport services at Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center (1994 -1999) and Beacon Children’s Hospital South Bend, (1994 - 2016). She is a co-founder and past president of O’Hana Heritage Foundation dba A Rosie Place for Children; an Indiana non-profit organization that provides Respite and Palliative care services for children with complex, life-limiting medical conditions located in South Bend, Indiana. She obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Sciences as well as a Medical degree from the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), in Nigeria. Dr. Okanlami trained in Pediatrics at Howard University Hospital, Washington, DC and specialized in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University Hospital, Baltimore, MD. She also obtained an executive MBA from the University of Notre Dame in 2008.
She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and a member of the Society of Critical Care Medicine. She has a passion for serving, mentoring and advocating for interdisciplinary education and programs that improve quality of life for children and underrepresented populations globally. Dr. Okanlami is a clinician, educator and motivator involved in global health collaborations aimed at capacity building in critical care and palliative care for all people.
Her current academic focus is the development of Interdisciplinary Palliative Care Education at undergraduate level at IU South Bend and regional collaborations to enhance understanding and increase access to Palliative and Supportive care for diverse people of all ages.