Consultant ObGyn | Harvard-trained Researcher | Writer & educator
I help clinicians, women and organisations navigate careers, health, and social change — by challenging what’s usually left unsaid, enabling clarity, courage, and impact.
From medical careers and leadership, to women’s health across the life course, to organisational and systems-level change — my work turns unspoken realities into informed action.
Who I am
I’m Dr Isioma Okolo — a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, global public health researcher, and writer.
My work sits at the intersection of women’s health, medical careers, and social change. I focus on the moments where people feel dismissed, unprepared, or quietly overwhelmed — in clinics, hospitals, and systems that were never built with them in mind.
I write, teach, and advise to make complex conversations and systems clearer, more humane, and grounded in evidence
My Mission
“To make health and the systems around it — more honest, humane, and navigable”.
I work with individuals, communities, and organisations to ensure women are taken seriously across the life course, clinicians are supported beyond technical excellence, and conversations about health systems, power, and equity are grounded in evidence rather than silence.
Through writing, speaking, education, and consultancy, I help people move from quiet frustration to informed action.
MEDICAL CAREERS
For senior residents and early-career consultants navigating the transition no one prepares you for.
Interviews & portfolios
Early leadership pitfalls
Identity shifts after training
WOMEN’S HEALTH
Clinically grounded, human conversations across the life course — from periods to menopause.
Education & writing
Talks & workshops
Advisory work
SOCIAL CHANGE
Evidence-based conversations about systems, power, and equity in health.
Policy & advisory work
Media & commentary
Thought leadership
Catch Up on My Most Popular Blogs
LATEST NEWS
Safe Caesarean Births Start with High Quality Simulation Training
I am a clinician and a medical educator. I spend my time training multi-disciplinary teams on how to manage emergencies that arise during and after pregnancy and birth. In this video, I demonstrate alongside my mentor how to safely deliver a baby by caesarean section when the head is very low and impacted.
Dr Okolo speaks with the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists, RCOG: How to Tackle Stigma in Women’s Health
To celebrate International Women’s Day at the RCOG, I was honoured to be the co-chair of this webinar. In this session, I explain how data and stories from service-users can be used to increase empathy for the issues women face within healthcare, and how this is an important step towards breaking down stereotypes, tackling stigma and improving access to equitable care.
Using a Patient Safety Approach to Tackle Maternal Health Disparities in Scotland
I recently spoke at the Scottish Patient Safety Program ( SPSP) webinar. about Racialised Perinatal Inequalities in Scotland. SPSP is a national initiative to improve safety and reliability or care, and reduce harm.
The aims of the webinar were:
Describe how racialised health inequalities relate to the SPSP Perinatal driver diagrams.
Explore the current context of racialised perinatal inequalities in Scotland within the global context.
Understand the intrapartum care experience and outcomes for minority ethnic women and birthing people in Glasgow.
My talk starts at 07:29.
Link to resources from this webinar are available HERE
I ran the Great Scottish 1/2 marathon in Glasgow to fundraise to end maternal health disparities
October was a glorious month for me. Other than celebrating the month of my birth, I also celebrated a major milestone in running my first half marathon in under 3 hours!
I fundraised for the charity KWISA, leading an initiative to promote positive birth and pregnancy for women of African descent in Scotland.
Thank you to everyone who donated money to my JustGiving page, -it’s still live and open for donations HERE
My new podcast is LIVE on Spotify!
Now you can listen to your favourite blogs from Echi Di Ime on the go. Stay tuned for surprised special guest interviews from inspirational people with alternative career paths.
Subscribe, like and share.
Championing Sexual Health in Diabetes
Recently I spoke at the expert webinar series by Diabetes Africa on Sexual Health in Women with Diabetes. We had 220 people registered and 120 people live.
Did you know that up to 1 in 4 women with diabetes experiences sexual dysfunction? Watch the full talk here to learn something new about diabetes, sexual health, fertility, etc.
Tackling Female Genital Cutting-FGC/M
In May, I supported the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) in launching their pilot course to tackle the medicalisation of Female Genital Cutting/Mutilation (FGC/M) in Egypt.
In Egypt, up to 86% of women and girls have undergone FGC/M; in 83% of these cases, it is performed by a doctor or nurse(medicalisation of FGM/C). Education, advocacy and collaboration are critical in tackling the violence against women.
Learn more about the RCOG’s work to tackle FGC/M here.
The shift from resident to consultant feels like the first trimester of a pregnancy: exhilarating, unsettling, and full of lessons no one warns you about.
In this piece I share what I wish I’d known in those early months — the unexpected realities, boundaries, and rhythms that shape thriving in your new role.