Tolu Okitika
Senior Program Manager; Deputy Theme Head, Brain and Behaviour
BSc, MPH, PMP
tolu.okitika@thekids.org.au
Tolu provides operational oversight and management of the Geospatial Health and Development team. She also leads strategic initiatives within the Malaria Atlas Project aimed at capacity building, expanding global collaborations and enhancing stakeholder engagement.
She has extensive program management expertise in the development and implementation of research projects across various public health domains in the academic and non-profit sectors. Tolu’s key focus areas are: i) maximizing resource efficiencies to drive excellent performance and innovation, ii) synthesizing evidence-based research in global health policy formulation and implementation.
Prior to joining the GHD team, Tolu managed a portfolio of respiratory health research programs within the Children’s Lung Health team at The Kids including the Global Lung Function Initiative (GLI) to develop global, all-age, multiethnic reference values for various lung function tests. Previously, she was an Associate Program Officer with the Malaria PST at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. At the University of Washington (UW) in Seattle, she led qualitative research projects including an environmental health community organization capacity needs assessment as part of the UW Superfund Research Program and, the evaluation of a hands-on, interactive game to increase public interest in global health.
Tolu holds a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree and a graduate certificate in Global Health both from the University of Washington Seattle. She is also a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).
Projects
Endemic country capacity building and decentralization
Published research
A situational assessment of treatments received for childhood diarrhea in the Federal Republic of Nigeria
We assess progress towards improved case management of childhood diarrhea in Nigeria over a period of targeted health systems reform from 2013 to 2018. Individual and community data from three Demographic and Health Survey rounds are leveraged in a geospatial model designed for stratified estimation by venue of treatment seeking and State.
Official ERS technical standard: Global Lung Function Initiative reference values for static lung volumes in individuals of European ancestry
Measurement of lung volumes across the life course is critical to the diagnosis and management of lung disease. The aim of the study was to use the Global Lung Function Initiative methodology to develop all-age multi-ethnic reference equations for lung volume indices determined using body plethysmography and gas dilution techniques.
Other Publications
Education and Qualifications
- [Bachelor of Science (BSc)] – [Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife Nigeria]
- [Master of Public Health (MPH)] – [University of Washington, Seattle USA]
- [Graduate Certificate in Global Health] – [University of Washington, Seattle USA]
- [Project Management Professional (PMP] – [Project management Institute, USA]