A U.S.-based Nigerian scholar, Gift O. Olalusi, is gaining international recognition for her groundbreaking research on communication and cultural bias in healthcare.
Olalusi, a doctoral student at Wayne State University in Michigan, has been named the winner of the 2025 Westphal Outstanding Student Paper Award by the Iowa Communication Association (ICA) — a prestigious honour celebrating excellence in communication studies.
Her award-winning paper, titled “Unheard Voices: The Hidden Influence of Non-American Accents on Patient Outcomes and Provider Perception in U.S. Healthcare,” explores how linguistic bias affects trust, diagnosis, and treatment for patients who speak with non-American accents.
“Effective healthcare doesn’t start with a stethoscope; it starts with communication,” Olalusi said. “If patients don’t feel heard, they don’t heal.”
Beyond academia, Olalusi was recently appointed Head of Operations at the African Centre for Media and Intercultural Dialogue (ACMID), where she leads initiatives promoting culturally informed media narratives and public health communication across Africa and the diaspora.
“This is more than research — it’s advocacy,” she said. “It’s about bringing marginalised voices, whether in Africa or the diaspora, into rooms where decisions about their health and dignity are being made.”
Olalusi honed her expertise under the mentorship of Professor Olunifesi Suraj, a renowned scholar in strategic communication, UNESCO consultant, and Executive Director of ACMID. Together, they co-authored “African Right to Identity as a Right to Development: A Media Right Agenda,” published in the Jos Journal of Media and Communication Studies and presented at global conferences, reinforcing her influence in shaping academic and policy dialogue.
Her award from the Iowa Communication Association marks a milestone in her efforts to advance equity in healthcare and media, blending research, advocacy, and intercultural understanding to inspire a more inclusive global health system.
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