Dr. Omolayo Joy Anjorin, a Nigerian physician and internationally trained public health researcher, has been awarded the highly competitive Presidential Scholarship at George Mason University.
The scholarship will fund her doctoral studies in Social and Behavioral Health through to completion, enabling her to continue her research on youth behavioral health and advance solutions to urgent public health disparities.
Dr. Anjorin’s receipt of the Presidential Scholarship marks another milestone in an academic journey distinguished by merit-based excellence. She was previously awarded the Johnson & Johnson Global Mental Health Scholarship to pursue a joint Master of Science program at King’s College London and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. There, she conducted a qualitative study evaluating recovery-oriented mental health services in South London, producing findings that informed local mental health care delivery. Before that, she received the prestigious High Holland Potential Scholarship to attend Maastricht University in the Netherlands, where her master’s thesis on racial categorization and medical student well-being prompted university-wide reforms to better support students from ethnic minority backgrounds.
Her selection for the Presidential Scholarship is closely tied to her published record and her impact-driven research. Dr. Anjorin has authored peer-reviewed articles in respected international journals, including The Journal of Climate Change and Health, Annals of Medicine and Surgery, and Teaching and Learning in Medicine. Her work explores mental health systems, structural barriers to care, and the role of commercial determinants in shaping youth behavior. Her research draws on extensive fieldwork, policy advocacy, and data analysis, and it has led to over $450,000 in successful grant funding from agencies such as the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth.
Currently, Dr. Anjorin serves as a lead researcher on two funded projects focused on reducing electronic nicotine use among youth. These studies use a participatory approach that centers community perspectives and lived experience, and the findings have been shared at national and international forums, including the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco and the American Public Health Association. She also contributes to faculty-led projects that assess stress biomarkers among displaced refugee populations and evaluate mental health service accessibility among immigrant communities in North America.
Beyond her research, Dr. Anjorin is actively involved in mentorship, student engagement, and community service. She has supported George Mason’s Counseling and Psychological Services, organized campus-wide health events, and participated in the International Buddy Program to assist incoming international students. She also volunteers with global networks such as the Commercial Determinants of Health Action Network and contributes to cross-national webinars and policy briefings.
Dr. Anjorin maintains a perfect 4.0 GPA in a rigorous curriculum that includes courses in grant writing, advanced behavioral science, and public health biostatistics. Faculty members consistently commend her for her intellectual rigor, strong work ethic, and unwavering commitment to closing equity gaps in behavioral health. The Presidential Scholarship recognizes her potential to continue driving high-impact research and reinforces George Mason University’s confidence in her ability to shape the future of public health scholarship and practice.
Futhermore, Anjorin holds a master’s degrees in Global Mental Health and Global Health from King’s College London, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and Maastricht University.
Her research focuses on structural determinants of youth mental health, substance use, and behavioral health policy. She has conducted global fieldwork in Nigeria, Lebanon, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
This full doctoral scholarship, awarded by the Office of the Provost, recognizes exceptional academic distinction, scholarly potential, and a sustained commitment to addressing critical global health issues.
