Dr Josephine Adekola
- Lecturer in Strategy Communication/Science and Technology Policy (Management)
- Associate (School of Health & Wellbeing)
email:
Josephine.Adekola@glasgow.ac.uk
Adam Smith Business School, Main Building
Biography
Dr. Josephine Adekola is a lecturer on strategy communication/science and technology policy and is interested in disaster risks, risk communication, risk assessment, community engagement, and community resilience. Dr Adekola's research explores how stakeholders might collaboratively use science to create opportunities and solve societal problems for sustainable, resilient, and inclusive communities through enhanced understanding, policy, and behavioural changes.
Website: Public Debate Research Project
YouTube: Dr Josephine Adekiola
SCOTLAND AFRICAN VOICES
Dr Adekola is the Principal Investigator on Scotland African Voices (SAV). SAV is working towards building a cultural shift that creates a fair and accountable society for the most disadvantaged communities. Our primary objective is to raise awareness about how negative experiences within one system affect perceptions of other systems within marginalised communities. Through empirical research, we seek to equip advocates with a better understanding of the real-life experiences of Scotland's African, Caribean and Black (ACB) communities in areas that are critical social determinants of health and how they affect public health messaging. Additionally, we aim to bring together researchers, policymakers, and industry practitioners to build trust and improve public messaging.
SAV is shortlisted for Scottish knowledge exchange awards for the 'making a social difference' category and the Research Project of the Year in the Heralds Award.
The TRUST project
The TRUST project builds on SAV and will develop practical interventions that foster trust and collaboration between ACB communities and public agencies such as the NHS, Public Health Scotland, and Government officials. This collaboration will help coordinate efforts and co-create practical solutions to address health inequalities.
Impact and Engagement
- 2023: Written Evidence by Dr Josephine Adekola to the UK parliament - Health and Social Care Committee's inquiry, Prevention in Health and Social Care. https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/117423/pdf/
2023 Mar. Lunch Time Learning Session with Q&A to discuss insight from Scotland African Voices Film in partnership with Public Health Scotland.
2023 May. SAV Community Film Screening Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh, in partnership with Bob Doris, Member of the Scottish Parliament.
2023 Apr. Stirling SAV Community Film Screening in partnership with Redeem Christian Church of God, Stirling.
2023 Apr. Dundee SAV Community Film Screening in partnership with Nigerian Community Scotland, Dundee.
2023 Mar. Aberdeen SAV Community Film Screening in partnership with African Women Group, Aberdeen.
2023 Mar. Edinburgh SAV Community Film Screening in partnership with Project Esperanza, Edinburgh.
2023 Mar. Glasgow SAV Community Film Screening in partnership with Esther company Glasgow. - 2022 Oct. Film premiere: Scotland’s African Voices: The COVID-19 Vaccine Debate in partnership with Challenges in Changing Cities IRT, Cogito Epistemology Research Centre, Scottish Government, Public Health Scotland and Jezreel.
- 2022: Documentary film: ‘Scotland, African Voices: The COVID-19 Vaccine Debate’. The documentary aims to address health inequalities and save lives by encouraging vaccine take-up in the Scottish, African, Caribbean, and Black communities and highlighting social-epistemological obstacles amongst barriers to vaccination for these communities.
- The full documentary is available on YouTube: Scotland African Voices: COVID-19 Vaccine Debate
- Watch the trailer on YouTube: Film Premiere of Scotland African Voices: COVID-19 Vaccine Debate
Partners: Sarah Gilbert and the Vaccine Knowledge Group (University of Oxford), Emma Thompson (the MRC Centre for Virus Research), Mona Simion (Cogito Epistemology Research Center), Deji Bolarinwa (University of Ilorin, Nigeria), Duncan Pritchard (the University of California Irvine), Ilan Kelman (University College London, Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction), Jason Leitch (National Clinical Director, the Scottish Government), Claire Cameron (Public Health Scotland), Pastor Yinka and Adefolake Adesina (Fountain of Living Water, RCCG, Ayr), pRESPECT Hub Edinburgh, Sharpen Her: the African Women's Network (SHAWM), Glasgow Black and Scot, Aberdeen Jezreel Consultancy.
- 2022 Oct. Vaccine Inclusive Steering Group Research Presentation. COVID-19 Vaccine Debate Research within Scotland African and Caribbean communities.
2022 Oct. BBC News recorded an interview on 'Reasons for Vaccine Hesitancy and Way Forward'.
2022 Aug. BEMIS/SG Joint Research Launch Event. COVID-19 Vaccine Experience and Hesitancy Within African, Caribbean, and Black Communities In Scotland.
2022 Aug. Community event: ‘COVID-19 Experience and Vaccine Hesitancy, Ayr’. Public Debate Project, Adam Smith Business School, University of Glasgow, in partnership with Fountain of Living Water, Ayr.
2022 June. Community event: ‘COVID-19 Experience and Vaccine Hesitancy, Aberdeen’. Public Debate Project, Adam Smith Business School, University of Glasgow, in partnership with Black and Scot, Aberdeen.
2022 Apr. Community event: ‘COVID-19 Experience and Vaccine Hesitancy, Glasgow’. Public Debate Project, Adam Smith Business School, University of Glasgow, in partnership with Sharpen Her: African Women Network (SHAWN).
2022 Apr. Community event: ‘COVID-19 Experience and Vaccine Hesitancy, Edinburgh’. Public Debate Project, Adam Smith Business School, University of Glasgow, in partnership with PRESPECT HUB CIC, Edinburgh.
2022 Oct. THE NIGERIAN PRIDE | Interview with Dr Josephine Adekola. COVID-19 Research and Vaccine hesitancy. Jambo Radio Scotland.
2021 Dec. Vaccine Inclusive Steering Group Research Presentation. COVID-19 Vaccine experience in Scotland’s African and Caribbean communities.
2021 Oct. THE NIGERIAN PRIDE | Interview with Dr Josephine Adekola. COVID-19 Research and Vaccine Hesitancy. Jambo Radio Scotland.
2021 Oct. BBC news. I recorded an interview on 'Reasons for Vaccine Hesitancy and Way Forward'.
2021 Jul. BBC news. I recorded an interview on vaccine hesitancy in Black and Asian communities in Scotland. - 2019: Science festival: ‘What will I do card’ card game. Transport Museum Glasgow
Research interests
Dr Adekola is a member of the School's Strategy and Technology Management research cluster.
Area of expertise
- Disaster risk management
- Community resilience
- Risk communication
- Social amplification of risk
- Public engagement
- Science and technology policy
Grants
- Adekola J. (2023): Maternal Return Fund - £10,000.00.
- Adekola J. (2023): Community Film Screening: Creating a shared understanding of the science and risk of COVID-19 vaccines to inform vaccine confidence and uptake within Scotland's African and Caribbean communities. Glasgow Knowledge Exchange Funds - £20761.80
- Adekola J., Gray C. and Simion M. (2023) Addressing accessibility issues to health and social care services among African and Caribbean communities in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. College Research Funds - £5000.00
- Adekola J. (2022) "What is the science and data behind COVID-19 vaccines": Addressing concerns and curiosities of African, Caribbean, and Black communities in Scotland. IAA Impact funding, University of Glasgow - £10,000.00.
- Adekola J. (2022) The ontology and epistemology of risk communication. ASBS Research Pump-Priming Fund - £3000.00
- Adekola J. and Simion M. (2022) The epistemological dimensions of risk communication and science engagement. ArtsLab - £2500.00.
- Adekola J. (2022) COVID-19 vaccine experience and hesitancy within Scotland's African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) communities. BEMIS (Scotland) - £3000.00.
Supervision
Dr Adekola's is interested in supervising PhD research in disaster risk management, risk communication, community resilience, and vaccine or stakeholders engagement.
Teaching
- Management issues and controversies
- Operational risk management
Research datasets
Additional information
Recent conference full paper presentation
- Adekola J. (2022) Strategies to Build Trust and COVID-19 Vaccine Engagement and Confidence. IRSPM Conference.
- Adekola J. (2022) Medical Populism and vaccine hesitancy and way forward. A survey of ethnic minority communities in Scotland. BAM Conference 2022
- Adekola J. (2022) Working paper: A conceptual understanding of social equity in public engagement regarding science and technology policy. BAM Conference 2022