Student's drowning prevention research earns federal support

By Tiffany Murray-Robertson
L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs

Virginia Commonwealth University student Jackie Okao has received a major boost in her efforts to strengthen drowning prevention and improve water safety in Virginia's coastal communities.

Okao has been selected for the highly competitive Virginia Sea Grant Graduate Fellowship, which will provide her with approximately $80,000 in federal research support to advance her dissertation examining how government policy and community engagement can work together to prevent rip current-related drowning deaths along Virginia Beach's coastline.

A doctoral student in public policy and administration in the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs, Okao will use the fellowship to conduct primary research, working directly with community members, local officials and other stakeholders as she examines strategies for improving water safety and informing evidence-based public policy.

"This fellowship will allow me to examine how grassroots community partnerships can work alongside public policy to better protect local communities and beachgoers," Okao said. "By connecting community knowledge with evidence-based policy, we can develop approaches that ultimately save lives."

The fellowship builds on Okao's broader research agenda examining drowning prevention as a public policy challenge. Her work explores how equitable public policies and community partnerships can reduce preventable drowning deaths, particularly among communities that have historically had less access to swimming education and beach safety resources.

Earlier in her doctoral studies, Okao examined drowning prevention in fishing communities along Lake Victoria in East Africa, where she studied how legislation, community-based interventions and local implementation strategies can work together to reduce preventable deaths. Her Virginia Sea Grant-supported research extends that work.

Administered by Virginia Sea Grant through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Sea Grant College Program, the Graduate Fellowship Program supports outstanding graduate students conducting research that addresses coastal and marine challenges while providing professional development in science communication, stakeholder engagement and interdisciplinary collaboration.

This story was originally published on the Wilder School website.