Dr Michelle King-Okoye

Background

Dr Michelle King-Okoye earned her PhD (Honours) in Health Sciences from the University of Surrey, which examined men and their partners experiences of prostate cancer with a focus on pathways to care utilising a lens of culture, beliefs, and ethnicity. She was awarded the 2019 Rosemary Pope prize as her thesis scored highest across the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences for its contribution to healthcare, education, practice, and policymaking.

Michelle has clinical experience in critical care, cancer care, emergency care , postoperative care and has incorporated innovative and novel methods, including different pedagogical approaches in teaching and learning. Her clinical and teaching experiences span across the Caribbean and the United Kingdom. She is passionate about widening participation and increasing diversity within the university. Her research priority is to contribute to research and policymaking for ethnic minority communities in relation to health and illness experiences and health service research. Dr King-Okoye founded the Ethnicity and Covid-19 Research Consortium (ECRC),  which comprises an international team of researchers and academics formed at the inception of the pandemic to support ethnic minority communities.

Dr King-Okoye is keen to collaborate and engage with other researchers/academics and non-academics. Please contact her if interested.

Qualifications

  • PhD Health Sciences
  • Master of Science in Advanced Practice: Cancer Care with Advanced Learning and Teaching (module)
  • Bachelor of Science in Oncology Nursing
  • Certificate in Critical Care Nursing
  • Professional Degree in Adult Nursing

Responsibilities & affiliations

Undergraduate teaching

Supervision: Bachelor of Nursing with Honours' student dissertation (2020-2021)

Culture and healthcare in the UK and International Contexts: Culture, Society and Healthcare (2020-2021)

 

  • Founder/Leader: The Ethnicity and Covid-19 Research Consortium (ECRC) (2020- present)
  • co-Founder/Leader: Caribbean Prostate Cancer Group (2018 - present)
  • Member: Scottish Dementia Research Consortium (2020- present)
  • Member: Scottish Medical and Sociology Group (2018 - present)
  • Member: Staff BAME Network (2021)
  • Member: WoC Staff Network (2021)
  • Member: Evidence Aid (2020)
  • Member: Grounded Theory Researchers/Academics Network (2014-present)

Open to PhD supervision enquiries?

Yes

Research summary

Dr King-Okoye's  research interests pertain to ethnic minority communities and heatlh and illness experiences. She examines barriers to care along care pathways, including help seeking, diagnnosis and treatment experiences.  Her research interests are:

  • Health inequalities
  • Cancer care experiences: this involves different types of cancers.
  • Critical care experiences 
  • Palliative and End-of-life care experiences
  • Artificial intelligence with a focus on embedding ethical principles and reducing bias for ethnic minority populations
  • Medical intelligence
  • Herbal medicine 
  • Telehealth
  • Widening participation and increasing diversity within the university
  • Virtual clinical electives and learning 
  • Digital education and healthcare 
  • Challenges of securing research funding for BAME academics 
  • Social media with a focus on situational awareness
  • Covid-19 with emphasis on health outcomes

Current research interests

Dr King-Okoye has been involved in international Covid-19 research for over a year, with emphasis on marginalised communities across the UK, USA, Europe, Canada and Australia. These ongoing research are conducted through the Ethnicity and Covid-19 Research Consortium (ECRC). Together with the team (from both developed and developing countries), Dr King-Okoye has also been developing smart phone mobile applications, databases and other methods to support different research projects. This work focuses on ethnic minority communities' help seeking, diagnosis and treatment experiences, including Covid variants and Quality of Life (QoL), in light of the escalating Covid-19 incidence and mortality rates among Black. Asian and minority ethnic communities. Her research also focuses on vaccination perceptions and experiences due to mistrust of the BAME community.

Past research interests

Dr King-Okoye was awarded funding from the Scholarship and Advanced Training Division (SATD), Ministry of Education, Trinidad and Tobago (formerly Ministry of Public Administration) (2014-2018) to conduct research among Caribbean men to explore reasons for delay in light of the steadily increasing prostate cancer incidence and mortality rates.

Knowledge exchange

Dr King-Okoye is currently involved in public engagement with both academic and non-academic audiences, including community involvement with patients and families.

Conference details

Dr Michelle King-Okoye has presented at high esteemed conferences locally, regionally and internationally, such as the United Kingdom, Geneva, Sweden, the United States and Ireland, which includes the United Nations, Cancer Research UK, Modelling and Simulation for Autonomous Systems (MESAS), Psycho- Oncology Society World Congress and International Conference on Cancer Nursing (ICCN).

King-Okoye, M. (2021). "Ethnic minorities, Artificial Intelligence, Disparities and the Role of Social Media", Oral presentation, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Human Affairs.  United Nations/OCHA  Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Week (HNPW) 2021, Geneva.

King-Okoye, M. (2020). “Overview of Covid-19 among Black, Asian and minority ethnic populations across developed countries” Oral presentation, The Ethnicity and Covid-19 Research Consortium, 1st Covid-19 International Research Conference.

David, W., King-Okoye, M. and Stefanova, A. (2020). "Artificial Intelligence and Robotics addressing COVID-19 Pandemic’s Challenges", Oral Presentation, In: The 7th International Modelling and Simulation for Autonomous Systems Conference.

King-Okoye, M. (2020). ‘Africans, Asians and Minority Ethnic Groups in the Diaspora: Why are they severely affected by COVID-19 in comparison to other ethnic groups?’ Oral presentation, Ronin Institute COVID-19 Research Conference.

King-Okoye, M., Arber, A., Faithfull, S. (2019). ‘How the beliefs of African Caribbean men in TT contribute to delays in diagnosis of prostate cancer ‘[York, UK], Abstract Book: Oral Sessions, BSA Medical Sociology Conference 2019, p. 25.

King-Okoye, M., Arber, A., Faithfull, S. (2018). ‘Men and Partners’ Experiences of Prostate Cancer along Routes to Diagnosis in Trinidad and Tobago’ [Glasgow, UK], Abstract Book: Oral Sessions, BSA 50th Anniversary Medical Sociology Conference 2018, p E113-114.

King-Okoye, M., Arber, A., Faithfull, S. (2017). ‘Wanting to Connect: Men and Their Partners Experiences of prostate cancer in TT’, in International Conference on Cancer Nursing (ICCN) 2017 [Los Angeles, USA], Abstract Book: Oral Sessions, Cancer Nursing, 40 (6S), pE1-E74.

King-Okoye, M., Arber, A., Faithfull, S. (2017). ‘Barriers to timely presentation and diagnosis for prostate cancer: Afro-Caribbean men in Trinidad and Tobago’. Poster presented at: Early Diagnosis Research Conference, 2017 [Cancer Research UK, London, United Kingdom].

King-Okoye, M., Arber, A., Faithfull, S. (2017). ‘The role of women in breaking the silence among men with symptoms of prostate cancer in Trinidad and Tobago’. Poster presented at: British Psychosocial Oncology Society Annual Conference, 2017 [University of Oxford, United Kingdom].

King-Okoye, M., Arber, A., Faithfull, S. (2016). ‘How Tobago men and their partners detect and interpret prostate bodily changes’. Poster presented at: University of Surrey Doctoral Conference, 2016 [Guildford, United Kingdom].

King-Okoye, M., Arber, A., Faithfull, S. (2016). ‘Men's journey through diagnosis and treatment for prostate cancer in Trinidad and Tobago’, in 18th International Psycho- Oncology Society World Congress 2016 [Dublin, Ireland], Abstract Book: Psycho- Oncology, 25 (S3), 169-170.

Invited speaker

King-Okoye, M. (2021). ‘Emotional Intelligence and Resilience amidst Changing Times ’, The University of Edinburgh, In: ‘Changing Times, Changing Minds’, PGR Upcoming Conference, May (Invited KeyNote Speaker).

King-Okoye, M. (2021). Invited co-Chair, Safeguarding against future medical threats utilizing artificial intelligence supported medical intelligence, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Human Affairs, United Nations/OCHA  Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Week (HNPW) 2021, Geneva.

  • David, W., & King-Okoye, M. (2021). Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Addressing COVID-19, Pandemic’s Challenges. Retrieved 7 April 2021, from https://www.springerprofessional.de/artificial-intelligence-and-robotics-addressing-covid-19-pandemi/18929932
  • Greszta, A., Chwalek, T., Belisario, K., Rycroft, C., Underwood, T., King-Okoye, M. (2020). For whom the bell tolls: Covid-19 across the European Union, Interdisciplinary perspectives on equality and diversity, In press
  • King-Okoye, M. and Underwood, T. (2020). The Disproportionate Impact Of COVID-19 On BAME Communities In The UK: An Urgent Research Priority, BMJ Global Health Blog. [online] Available at: <https://blogs.bmj.com/bmjgh/2020/08/25/the-disproportionate-impact-of-covid-19-on-bame-communities-in-the-uk-an-urgent-research-priority/>
  • King-Okoye, M., Belisario, K., Laguna, A., McGeoch, L., McMaster, F., Rycroft, C., Williams, S., Underwood, T., Erlichman, A., and Patel, N. (2020). A systematic review of the reported symptoms, help-seeking accounts, and diagnosis and treatment subjective experiences of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) populations in developed countries with suspected, confirmed active, or previous SARS-CoV-2 and/or COVID-19 disease. PROSPERO 2020 CRD42020189336 Available from: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42020189336
  • King-Okoye M, Arber A, Faithfull S. (2019). Beliefs that contribute to delays in diagnosis of prostate cancer among Afro-Caribbean men in Trinidad and Tobago. Psycho Oncology Journal. 28 (2): 1321-1327.
  • King-Okoye, M.M (2018). Silence among Afro-Caribbean men diagnosed with prostate cancer in Trinidad and Tobago: A grounded theory study. PhD thesis, University of Surrey, Guildford.
  • King-Okoye M, Arber A, Faithfull S. (2017). Routes to diagnosis for men with prostate cancer: men's cultural beliefs about how changes to their bodies and symptoms influence help- seeking actions. A narrative review of the literature. European Journal of Oncology Nursing. 30: 48 – 58.
  • King-Okoye M, Arber A. (2014). ‘It stays with me’: The experiences of second- and third-year student nurses when caring for patients with cancer. European Journal of Cancer Care (Engl). 23: 441-9.
  • King-Okoye M. (2013). A phenomenological study of 2nd and 3rd year student nurses’ experiences of caring for patients with cancer. Master of Science thesis, University of Surrey.

 

Past Awards

  • Rosemary Pope Award (2019)
  • Conference Award, British Sociology Association, 50th Anniversary Medical Sociology Conference (2018)
  • Researcher to Innovator Award and travel grant, SETSQUARED (2015)
  • Development Needs Award for PhD in Health Sciences/Oncology, Ministry of Education, TT (2014)
  • EONS Research Proposal Workshop Award, Karolinska University Hospital, Department of Oncology, Stockholm, Sweden (2012)
  • Oncology award for Master of Science in Advanced Practice programme, Ministry of Public Administration, TT (2011)
  • Lecturer Oncology Grant through University of West Indies to coordinate training programmes at Mount Vernon Cancer Centre, Royal Marsden and Imperial College Hospital, UK (2011)
  • International Oncology Training Grant & Travel Award, Mount Vernon Cancer Care Centre, Northwood, UK (2010)
  • International Travel Award/grant, Research Proposal Workshop at Ryerson University, Canada (2010)
  • Oncology clinical training grant- partnerships between McMaster University Canada, Ministry of Health and University of the West Indies, TT ( 2008-2010)
  • Critical care grant, Ministry of Health, TT (2005-2006).

 

 

These systematic reviews are currently being conducted through collaboration with researchers and academics at the Ethnicity and Covid-19 Research Consortium (ECRC).

  • King-Okoye et al., (2021). A living systematic review of the symptoms associated with the UK COVID-19 variant B117 and related clinical outcomes across Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) groups, https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=234358

  • King-Okoye et al., (2021). A living systematic review of the impacts of COVID-19 on the health-related quality of life across Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) groups, https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=238645

  • King-Okoye et al., (2021). A systematic review of the reported symptoms, help-seeking accounts, and diagnosis and treatment subjective experiences of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) populations in developed countries with suspected, confirmed active, or previous SARS-CoV-2 and/or COVID-19 disease.

 

This scoping review stems from my PhD work that focused on a grounded theory study of Afro-Caribbean men and their partners experiences of. prostate cancer in Trinidad and Tobago.

  • King-Okoye et al., (2021). Symptoms commonly reported by men of African ancestry and help seeking delay for prostate cancer- A scoping review