Omolayo Umaru, PharmD, MS

Bio

Omolayo Umaru is currently pursuing a PhD in Social and Administrative Pharmacy at the College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota, while simultaneously obtaining a Minor in Business Management from the Carlson School of Management. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Pharmacy, Doctor of Pharmacy, and Master of Science in Clinical Pharmacy. She is also a Fellow of the West African Postgraduate College of Pharmacists, where she completed her residency in Clinical Pharmacy; and she brings extensive experience in patient care across both community and hospital pharmacy settings.

Research Interests

Her research focuses on several key areas: exploring patients' experiences and adherence with medications for chronic diseases; investigating medication management and challenges associated with medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) from a global health perspective; utilizing qualitative and mixed-methods research to examine healthcare experiences of patients, healthcare disparities among immigrant and refugee communities, and the intersectionality of race and gender in healthcare settings; studying complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use among vulnerable populations; and conducting Community-Based Participatory Research.

Awards & Recognition

• Recipient, Collegiate Teaching Scholar Award, College of Pharmacy, UMN, August, 2025
• Recipient, 2025 Global Health Ethics in Practice Award, UMN, August 2025                                                           
• Recipient, Social & Administrative Pharmacy Summer Research Fellowship, UM, June 2025
• Nominee, 2024-2025 College of Pharmacy Outstanding Service TA Award, UMN, May, 2025
• Recipient, Travel Award, College of Pharmacy, UMN – Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Scientists (ABRCMS), Pittsburg, PA, USA, Nov, 2024
• Recipient, Olsteins’ Graduate Honorable Mention Travel Award (2024-2025), UMN, Oct, 2024
• Commendation from Vice-Provost and Dean of Graduate Education, University of Minnesota: In recognition of Contributions to the Graduate Student Advisory Board (GSAB), UMN, May 2024
• Recipient, Peters Summer Fellowship, College of Pharmacy, UMN, May 2024                                                         
• Recipient, Social & Administrative Pharmacy ALUMNI Fellowship, UMN, 2023/2024
• Recipient, Marcellus & Laura Grace Fellowship, UMN, 2023/2024
• Recipient, Social & Administrative Pharmacy Summer Research Fellowship, UMN, May 2023     

Professional Memberships/Affiliations

• Member, American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP)
• Member, American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP)
• Member, Integrative Medicine for the Underserved (IM4US), USA
• Member, American Public Health Association (APHA)
• Member, Minnesota Public Health Association (MPHA)
• Member, International Society for Pharmacoeconomics & Outcomes Research, UMN (Student chapter)
• Fellow, West African Postgraduate College of Pharmacists (FPCPharm)
• Member, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Oyo State, Nigeria

LEADERSHIP ROLES 

• Assistant Representative to External Organizations - Council of International Graduate Students (CIGS), University of Minnesota: Oct 2022 – Aug 2023
• Representative to External Organizations - Council of International Graduate Students (CIGS), University of Minnesota: Oct 2022 – present
• Member, Graduate Students’ Advisory Board (GSAB) – University of Minnesota - Sept 2023 – May 2024
• Executive Committee member - SoLaHmo Partnership for Health and Wellness, Minneapolis, USA: Jan 2024 – present
• Member, Work Group Committee, Concordant Mentoring Program for Black Pharmacy Students, College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota (Funded by the McKesson Foundation): Mar – Nov 2023
• Mentor, MentorRx Program, College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota: Jan 2024 – present
• Mentor, Black RXcellence Mentoring Program, College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota: Nov 2023 – present

Additional Languages

• French (writing)
• Yoruba

Teaching

Course: Drugs & the US Health-Care System (PHAR 4204/5204) - Teaching Assistant, Pharmacy Learning Collaborative (Fall 2022; Spring 2023); Teaching Assistant, Office of Curriculum Operations, College of Pharmacy (Summer 2023); Teaching Assistant, Pharmacy Learning Collaborative (Fall 2023; Spring 2024: Fall 2024: Spring 2025: Fall 2025))

Ipingbemi AE, Ajanaku OO, Umaru OT. Assessment Of Community Pharmacists’ Knowledge and Counselling Practices on Oral Contraceptive Use. J CONTEMP STUD EPIDEMIOL PUBLIC HEALTH. 2023;4(2), ep23008.       

Okoro ON, Kennedy JE, Trok CB, Singer D, Scott DA, Umaru OT (2023) A Community-Based, Grassroots Intervention for Covid-19 Vaccination in the Black Population. J Community Med Health Educ 13:805.

Okoro O, Umaru O, Ray M. Women of Color in the Health Professions: A Scoping Review of the Literature. Pharmacy. 2024; 12(1):29.

Olihe Okoro, Omolayo Umaru, Meghana Ray (2024). Intersectionality of Race and Gender in Pharmacy and Other Health Professions. Pharmacy Education 24(7) 424

Philbrick, A. M., Umaru, O., Brown, S. J., Helmke, A., Momary, K., Peterson, J., & Hellerslia, V. (2025). Pharmacist Interventions in Immigrant and Refugee Populations: A Scoping Review. Journal of the American Pharmacists Association, 102393.

Okoro, O. N., Umaru, O. T., & Ray, M. S. (2025). Untapped Opportunities: The Unique Value Proposition of Women of Color Pharmacists. Journal of the American Pharmacists Association, 102482.

Wendy St. Peter, Chi-Han Cheng, Lindsay Sorge, Debbie Pestka, Omolayo Umaru, Hadley Dowell, Kate Dryden, Joshua J. Neumiller (May 2025). Assessing Readiness for Pharmacist-Led Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Comprehensive Medication Management Across Five Academic Health Systems. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM): Future of Pharmacy Abstract Book. Innovations in Pharmacy Training and Practice to Advance Patient Care: A Workshop. Washington DC, USA.