Dr Josephine Okurame
Researcher biography
Dr Josephine Okurame is a Lecturer in Research at The University of Queensland. She brings a multidisciplinary background that spans health research, education, equity focused pathways, artificial intelligence, and community engaged scholarship. Her work sits at the intersection of widening participation, underserved populations, and the translation of research into practical outcomes for learners, professionals, and communities.
Josephine's research centres on improving access, representation, and success for students from underserved and rural backgrounds, particularly within health and medical training pathways. Her scholarship draws on mixed methods approaches and emphasises the integration of lived experience, systems thinking, and evidence informed policy and practice. She has a growing interest in the ethical use of artificial intelligence in academia, with a focus on responsible integration into teaching, research design, research communication, and academic capacity building. Her interests explore how AI can support equity, transparency, and accessibility while maintaining academic integrity and human centred decision making.
With a strong foundation in teaching and research capacity building, Josephine supports students, clinicians, and early career researchers to engage in meaningful research activity. She has experience in mentoring, curriculum informed research integration, and developing research confidence amongs inidividuals who are new to research environments. Her work strengthens the link between education, workforce development, and service delivery.
Josephine also has a strong interest in research communication and knowledge translation. She focuses on making complex evidence understandable and actionable for diverse audiences, including educators, community stakeholders, and policy contributors. Her broader academic vision centres on equitable systems, sustainable career pathways, and strengthening the pipeline between education, community need, and workforce outcomes.
Through her role at UQ, she contributes to research, teaching, and collaboration that support the long term goal of a more inclusive and responsive health workforce.