Reducing Chronic Disease Burden

Oluwatimilehin “Timmy” Okunowo likens his experience at UNTHSC to an apprentice acquiring skills under an employer. During his time at UNTHSC, he feels the knowledge and skills acquired provided him the confidence to become an independently thinking and working health professional. Timmy completed his MPH Practicum experience at Helping Restore Ability, Arlington, a non-profit organization that provides in-home care for people with chronic conditions. As a Health Outcomes Data Analyst, Timmy performed health assessments of clients with Type 2 Diabetes and compared health indicators of this group with a control group of non-diabetic population in Tarrant County. At the same time, he identified barriers to diabetes self-management among the diabetic group.

Based on the findings during Timmy’s study, care providers can do much more in helping people with diabetes improve self-efficacy in managing their condition. Long-term this could mean improved chronic disease management to reduce acute care usage and associated costs to the healthcare system while improving client health, wellness and quality of life. Timmy’s long-term goal is to gain more knowledge and experience on tackling the burden of chronic disease in the population. As a result, he will be joining JPS Health Network as a Research Volunteer in the Center for Outcomes Research while he is completing his MPH degree.