Email:

cojinnak@iu.edu

Departments:

Health Policy and Management

Degrees:

MBBS, Medicine and Surgery, University of Nigeria

MPH, Health Policy and Management, Texas A&M University

PhD, Health Services Research, Texas A&M University

Resume/CV

Biography

Chinedum Ojinnaka is a physician and health services researcher dedicated to understanding and addressing determinants of health and healthcare inequities. Her research is focused on identifying the associations between individual and population-level social determinants of health (SDOH), and disparities in health outcomes and healthcare utilization. Her research also aims to understand the role of telehealth in addressing health and healthcare inequities. Her work uses administrative claims data, including Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, disease registry data, and population-based surveys, to identify the role of SDOH including race, ethnicity, food insecurity, poverty, residential segregation, and rural/urban residence in health and healthcare inequities. Her research also involves implementing and evaluating interventions to improve healthcare access and reduce health disparities.

Selected Publications

1. Ojinnaka CO, Yuh S, Nordstrom L, Adepoju O, Domino M. Pre-pandemic preventable hospitalization is associated with increased telemedicine use in safety-net settings. Digital Health. 2024. 
2. Ojinnaka CO, Johnstun L, Dunnigan A, Nordstrom L, Yuh S. Telemedicine Reduces Missed Appointments but Disparities Persist. Am J Prev Med. 2024 Feb 17:S0749-3797(24)00066-7. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2024.02.012.
3. Ogungbe O, Ellis A, Ojinnaka CO. Connecting Needs: Food Security to Medication Adherence-Connecting Needs. JAMA Netw Open. 2024 Feb 5;7(2):e2356570. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.56570
4. Ojinnaka CO, Arteaga I, Hodges L, Heflin C. SNAP Participation and Medication Adherence among Medicaid-Insured Older Adults living with Hypertension. Journal of General Internal Medicine. 2023 May;38(6):1349-1356.
5. Adepoju, OE, Ojinnaka CO, Chae M. Utilization Gaps During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Telemedicine Uptake in Federally Qualified Health Center Clinics. Journal of General Internal Medicine. 2022 Apr;37(5):1191-1197.
6. Heflin C, Hodges L, Ojinnaka C, Arteaga I. Hypertension, Diabetes and Medication Adherence among the Older Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program Population. Journal of Applied Gerontology. 2022 Mar;41(3):780-787.
7. Ojinnaka CO, Bruening M. Black-White Racial Disparities in Healthcare Utilization and Self-reported Health among Cancer Survivors: the Role of Food Insecurity. Cancer. 2021 Dec 15;127(24):4620-4627.

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