The journey of public health research is often full of passion and self discovery.  Olajumoke Olarewaju, a 4th-year PhD candidate in the Department of Health, Behavior, and Society at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health shares who, what, and how her public health journey was impacted and shaped along the way. She opens up about her honest approach to her graduate program and the emotional strength needed for the program. 

Her research focuses on the intersection of pregnancy, substance use, and behavioral health. Her PhD dissertation explores how pregnancy experiences shape substance use patterns over the life course, using qualitative methods to center the voices and lived experiences of pregnant and parenting individuals. 

Ola holds a Master of Arts in Demography and Population Studies from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, where she also earned an Honors degree in the same field. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Ladoke Akintola University in Nigeria. 

With over ten years of experience in public health interventions, Ola has worked extensively in research and program implementation across Nigeria, South Africa, and the U.S. She has worked with numerous NGOs, including FHI360 and the Centre for Communication and Social Impact (CCSI), focusing on evidence generation to promote behavior change in areas such as reproductive health, maternal and child health, HIV, malaria, governance, food security, and Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH). 

Ola identifies as a public health researcher and behavioral scientist, passionate about designing strategies that consider people's lived experiences and life events to improve health outcomes in meaningful, contextually relevant ways. 

To learn more about applying to the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, please visit. https://publichealth.jhu.edu/offices-and-services/office-of-admissions-services/how-to-apply