Missouri School of Journalism graduate Damilola Oduolowu earns distinguished O.O. McIntyre Fellowship
By Sara Mearns
COLUMBIA, Mo. (May 27, 2026) — Damilola Oduolowu, Ph.D. ‘25, is the recipient of the prestigious O.O. McIntyre Fellowship, the highest postgraduate award given by the Missouri School of Journalism.
The fellowship, named after prominent New York City columnist O.O. McIntyre, awards a select graduate student a one-year, $12,000 stipend to delve deeper into a topic of their choice and create a reporting project of their design.
Oduolowu’s project, One in 100: Inside Nigeria’s Maternal Death Crisis, focuses on the ongoing maternal mortality crisis in Nigeria, further examining why many women continue to die from preventable pregnancy-related causes. While this topic is rooted in the national maternal mortality crisis, Oduolowu will concentrate his reporting on Lagos State to gain a better understanding of how these deaths persist even in well-resourced, urban settings.
To do this, Oduolowu plans to combine interviews with pregnant women, families, healthcare workers and policy makers to produce a fully integrated, engaging narrative feature based on this fieldwork. Even though the fellowship calls for a more writing-centered approach to reporting, Oduolowu wants to also incorporate photography and simple data visualizations into his project to further the context of his narrative and strengthen audience engagement.
Not only does Nigeria account for nearly one-third of maternal deaths globally, but many are preventable with known medical solutions, which Oduolowu believes points to deeper systematic issues, making the crisis an urgent public health and equity issue.
“I knew it was time to pursue my doctorate at my dream school, and I put all my eggs in one basket by applying only to the Missouri School of Journalism. It was Mizzou or nothing.”
Damilola Oduolowu
“I chose this topic because it sits at the intersection of public health, poverty, inequality and accountability, and because focusing on Lagos challenges the assumption that maternal mortality is only a rural problem,” Oduolowu said.
The overarching goal of Oduolowu’s project is to offer an examined view into the structural barriers that contribute to maternal mortality while simultaneously humanizing the issue. Oduolowu aims to connect national statistics to lived experiences in order to increase public awareness, strengthen accountability in the healthcare delivery system and highlight life-saving, practical solutions to enhance ongoing conversations surrounding maternal health, utilizing the skills he acquired from his doctoral educational experience at J-School.
Oduolowu first heard about the fellowship in the fall of 2024, after Cory MacNeil, Ph.D. ‘24, received the honor and used the stipend to create a photo essay and column covering climate change’s local impacts in Missouri. However, Oduolowu might not have pursued the opportunity had it not been for Lindsey Crozier, senior academic advisor at the J-School, remembering to forward him the application call following his graduation in the fall of 2025.
This example of faculty and staff support and mentorship is just one of the many reasons why Oduolowu came to the J-School from Lagos, Nigeria, to pursue his doctoral degree.
Oduolowu has had the J-School on his radar since the completion of his bachelor’s degree from Lagos State University in 2015, when he saw a group of Nigerian journalists study at the J-School for three months through the scholar exchange program.
He soon began researching the J-School, drawn to its prestige as the world’s first journalism school and its renowned faculty. He saw it as the perfect place to deepen his love of learning and pursue his goal of becoming a professor. After earning his master’s degree from the University of Lagos in 2018, Oduolowu knew his stop for doctoral study was clear.
“I knew it was time to pursue my doctorate at my dream school, and I put all my eggs in one basket by applying only to the Missouri School of Journalism,” Oduolowu said. “It was Mizzou or nothing.”
Oduolowu contributes much of his research and professional development growth to the support he received from faculty members throughout his doctoral educational experience, especially through the mentorship he encountered when traveling to present research projects at prestigious national and international conferences.
This faculty support, combined with the rigorous coursework required to complete the doctoral program, allowed Oduolowu to excel in the fields of research, teaching and leadership and service, effectively preparing him to tackle the reporting project through the O.O. McIntyre Fellowship.
“My love for the Missouri School of Journalism is largely because of my experience with the incredibly brilliant mix of the best faculty you can ever imagine,” Oduolowu said.
Updated: May 27, 2026