Oladunni Oluwoye, PhD, an associate professor in the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine’s Department of Community and Behavioral Health, has received Washington State University’s 2026 Faculty Mid-Career Award.
Each year WSU recognizes the outstanding achievements of its faculty and staff. The mid-career award recognizes faculty systemwide in the early to middle stage of their career who have demonstrated a strong commitment to the university’s land-grant mission and its scholarship, teaching, and engagement elements.
“Dr. Oluwoye has demonstrated a sustained commitment to advancing health equity, improving mental health outcomes, and mentoring the next generation of scholars and practitioners,” wrote Department of Community and Behavioral Health Chair Naomi Chaytor, PhD, ABPP, in her nomination. “Her work has already had a profound impact across Washington state and nationally, and she continues to build a trajectory that promises even greater contributions to scholarship, education, and community engagement.”
Dr. Oluwoye’s community-engaged research on early psychosis intervention and other aspects of mental health emphasizes translating evidence into practice to reduce barriers to care and address disparities in health outcomes. She has led multiple federally funded projects and authored more than 70 peer-reviewed articles in leading journals, impacting the field and health policy.
Dr. Oluwoye serves in multiple leadership roles to lend her expertise to efforts to improve mental health care in locally and nationally. She co-leads the APPROACHES (Addressing Pathways to Provide & Achieve Equitable Services & Supports) to Community Mental Health Co-lab and leads the evaluation team for New Journeys, Washington’s coordinated specialty care model for youth and adults with early psychosis. The team also collaborates with Washington State Health Care Authority and the University of Washington to provide technical assistance and training services.
“Through these efforts, she has helped shape the state’s mental health infrastructure, ensuring that services are equitable, effective, and responsive to community needs,” Dr. Chaytor noted.
Last year, Dr. Oluwoye was appointed to the National Alliance on Mental Illness’s (NAMI) newly-launched Scientific Advisory Council, which brings together the country’s leading researcher and clinicians to guide mental health research and advocacy.
“NAMI is at the forefront of advocacy, policy, community awareness, and support for individuals and their families at the local, state, and national levels,” Dr. Oluwoye said. “Being a part of the Scientific Advisory Group represents the opportunity for me to give back to an organization that has served so many and to amplify health equity research necessary to ensure mental health support for all people and their families.”
In addition to research and advocacy work, Dr. Oluwoye brings her expertise to the classroom as co-lead of the health equity thread for the MD program and as a Med Scholar facilitator. She has served as a mentor to numerous undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral trainees.
This year’s award recipients will be recognized at the Celebrating Excellence Banquet on March 27 in Pullman as part of Showcase week.