Bunmi Ogungbe Transformed by Trainee Experience

Oluwabunmi "Bunmi" Ogungbe, PhD, MPH, RN does not doubt that her experience in the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Equity (CHE) Trainee Program has been instrumental to her career, claiming “my time as a trainee at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Equity has been truly life-changing.” Ogungbe, a seasoned researcher and healthcare professional, joined the Trainee Program to grow as a health equity researcher. She feels that she has enriched her career and expanded her worldview through her work as a trainee. “My perspectives on health inequities, social determinants, and systemic barriers have broadened tremendously,” says Ogungbe.  

Ogungbe, who received her PhD from Johns Hopkins University in Subclinical Myocardial Injury, Inflammation and Post-acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 Infection, is a cardiovascular epidemiologist dedicated to using her clinical, research, and public health expertise to improve cardiometabolic outcomes among populations experiencing social marginalization. She collaborates on several community-engaged multilevel interventions leveraging digital technologies to improve hypertension control and management of chronic conditions. Through her research and collaborations, Ogungbe leads innovative digital and community-engaged interventions to improve hypertension control and advance cardiovascular health equity, implements novel approaches to address underrepresentation in cardiovascular clinical trials, and leverages rich phenotypic epidemiologic datasets to assess multilevel determinants of cardiovascular health inequities, which will inform practical, scalable, and sustainable interventions. 

Throughout her trainee experience, Ogungbe has primarily worked under the mentorship of Yvonne Commodore-Mensah, PHD, MHS, BSN, RN, FAAN, FAHA, FPCNA. This work has included:  

• African Immigrants Health Study (AIHS) 

• A Virtual Cardiometabolic Health Program for African Immigrants: The Afro-DPP Program 

• Home Blood Pressure Telemonitoring LINKED with Community Health Workers to Improve Blood Pressure (LINKED-BP) Program, part of the American Heart Association RESTORE Network  

• A Cardiometabolic Health Program LINKED with Clinical-Community Support and Mobile HEAlth TelemonitoRing in Underserved PopulaTionS (LINKED-HEARTS) 

• Multilevel Modeling of Social Determinants of Hypertension in the LINKED-BP Program 

• Landscape of team-based care to manage hypertension: results from two surveys in low/middle-income countries 

• Determining the frequency and level of task-sharing for hypertension management in LMICs: A systematic review and meta-analysis  

For Ogungbe, the opportunity to work on these projects has been “transformative,” stating, “this experiential training has equipped me to be a more thoughtful, effective advocate as I design interventions to advance cardiovascular health equity, within the US and globally, through my research. I'm incredibly grateful for this transformative experience.”  

Apart from gaining experience and perspective through her work, Ogungbe has also built valuable professional relationships with the researchers she has worked with. “I have had a much-coveted opportunity to learn from and collaborate with pioneers and leaders in the field,” says Ogungbe. “Their passion for promoting health equity and justice is contagious.”  

This experiential training has equipped me to be a more thoughtful, effective advocate as I design interventions to advance cardiovascular health equity, within the US and globally, through my research. I'm incredibly grateful for this transformative experience.

                                                                                                                                             - Bunmi Ogungbe

Ogungbe has relished her time as a trainee in the CHE Trainee Program and has used the opportunity to expand her research experience, broaden her worldview, and foster relationships that will help her continue to make an impact in the world of health equity research. 

The CHE Trainee Program, founded in 2010, “provides opportunities to those seeking training in health equity research at all levels of experience…through formal didactics, mentorship, and sponsorship,” according to the program webpage. To date, the program has trained over 500 “exceptional people to conduct research, deliver care to populations that experience health disparities, and advocate for health equity.” 

If you are interested in applying to be a CHE Trainee, you can learn more on the Trainee Program page of the CHE website and complete the CHE Trainee Interest Survey to be considered for the program.