Event
Six Degrees of Healing: Politics, Patients, and Joyful Resistance: School of Medicine’s Jainti Dass Saggar Lecture
The School of Medicine’s Annual Black History Month Lecture celebrating the scientific advances and successful careers of our colleagues from underrepresented backgrounds
Wednesday 22 October 2025
Ninewells Hospital & Medical School
University of Dundee
Dundee DD2 1UB
The lecture is named after Dr Jainti Dass Saggar (1898-1954), who holds a pivotal part in Dundee’s social and medical history.
Dr Isioma Okolo is a Nigerian Consultant Obstetrician & Gynaecologist dedicated to addressing inequalities in health—both within countries and globally—through her work as a physician, surgeon, researcher, community organiser, and writer. In this year’s Jainti Dass Saggar Lecture, Dr. Isioma Okolo illuminates the profound connections between global health, policy, politics, and patient care in Scotland through the lens of “six degrees of separation.” Drawing on her experience in global health, community engagement, and clinical practice, she reflects on how health inequalities—rooted in structural forces such as racism and economic exclusion—shape lives both locally and globally.
All are welcome to join this free event.
Venue: Wolfson Lecture Theatre, Level 7, Ninewells Hospital
Six Degrees of Healing: Politics, Patients, and Joyful Resistance
In this year’s Jainti Dass Saggar Lecture, Dr. Isioma Okolo illuminates the profound connections between global health, policy, politics, and patient care in Scotland through the lens of “six degrees of separation.” Drawing on her experience in global health, community engagement, and clinical practice, she reflects on how health inequalities—rooted in structural forces such as racism and economic exclusion—shape lives both locally and globally.
In 2025, it is too easy to become numb to the overwhelming challenges of global health: humanitarian crises, forced displacement, climate change, antimicrobial resistance, pandemic preparedness, non-communicable diseases, digital inequity, structural racism, and workforce gaps. For clinicians who work at the edge of life and death, witnessing suffering is a daily reality—and with it comes both vulnerability and a unique privilege: the power to advocate for change.
Dr. Okolo’s lecture invites medical professionals to see their clinical practice as inseparable from global health systems and to embrace the idea of ‘joyful resistance.’ By cultivating proximity, courage, and curiosity, she reframes the challenges of global health not as a source of despair, but as a call to action. This talk challenges clinicians to bridge the gap between individual healing and systemic collective transformation—turning compassion into advocacy and witnessing suffering into purposeful action.
In the face of suffering, healthcare workers must look closer not away. By acting boldly with curiosity, we find joy in resisting injustice while healing.
Dr Isioma Okolo's biography
Dr Isioma Okolo is a Nigerian Consultant Obstetrician & Gynaecologist dedicated to addressing inequalities in health—both within countries and globally—through her work as a physician, surgeon, researcher, community organiser, and writer.
She is a graduate of the University of Edinburgh Medical School, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. In 2022, she completed dual research fellowships at Harvard Medical School and Connor’s Centre for Gender and Biology. Dr. Okolo is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine and a Member of the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists (RCOG).
Having trained and worked across four continents—Africa, the Americas, Europe, and the Middle East—Dr. Okolo brings a unique perspective on healthcare across low-, middle-, and high-income settings. She has led initiatives to improve outcomes in resource-limited environments, combining clinical expertise with innovative research and a nuanced understanding of global health disparities. Her international experience positions her as a powerful advocate for building equitable healthcare systems worldwide.
Beyond her clinical and research work, Dr. Okolo is a passionate champion for women’s health and equity. She has served on the UN Women UK delegation to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, the Scottish Government Group on Racialised Maternal Inequalities, and the RCOG Race Equality Taskforce. She is also actively involved in grassroots organisations, including KWISA (Women of African Heritage in Scotland), AMMA Birthing Companions, and Global Health Partnerships (formerly THET).
Dr Okolo is the author of the thought-provoking blog ‘Echi Di Ime’—Igbo for “no one knows tomorrow”—where she explores the intersections of personal growth, health, wellbeing, and social justice.