Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians

Family Physicians Name Minneapolis Doctor 2011 Researcher of the Year

April 20, 2010

Kolawole S. Okuyemi, M.D., Minneapolis, MN, received the 2011 Researcher of the Year Award from the Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians (MAFP).

The recipient of the Researcher of the Year Award must, through the course of his/her career, have contributed in a major, outstanding manner to the development of family medicine research in Minnesota and/or nationally. Candidates are typically nominated by their colleagues.

Dr. Okuyemi is the director of the Program in Health Disparities Research at the University of Minnesota Medical School, as well as an Associate Professor of Family Medicine. He is also the director of Cancer Health Disparities for the Masonic Cancer Center.

Dr. Okuyemi’s career has been devoted to research and programs to improve the health of minorities and eliminate health disparities using pharmacological and culturally tailored behavioral interventions. He has been principal investigator and co-investigator on federally-funded studies aimed at reducing tobacco-related health disparities. This year, Dr. Okuymei was named one of the top five National Institutes of Health family medicine investigators in the country.

The Researcher of the Year award was given to Dr. Okuyemi at the MAFP Spring Refresher which took place April 14, 2011, at the Crowne Plaza Riverfront Hotel in St. Paul.

The Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians is a professional association of approximately 3,000 family physicians, family medicine residents and medical students established to assist family physicians in providing quality medical care in Minnesota. The MAFP is the largest specialty organization in Minnesota and is a state chapter of the American Academy of Family Physicians, one of the largest national medical organizations in the United States, with more than 97,000 members.