Biography

Dr. Sabina Dahlstroem Otienoburu is an Associate Professor of Bioinformatics at Johnson C. Smith University (皇冠体育), where she has been teaching and conducting research since spring 2016. Recognized for her interdisciplinary approach, Dr. Otienoburu specializes in leveraging data to address global health challenges and advancing health equity within local communities. She develops and teaches curricula in Bioinformatics and Data Science and oversees senior investigative paper courses in computer science and natural science while also mentoring students in undergraduate research.

Dr. Otienoburu holds an MSc in Medical Science and a PhD in Molecular Epidemiology from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. She completed postdoctoral training at the Institut de Médecine et d'Épidémiologie Appliquée, Université Paris VII, in France. Before moving to the United States, she served as a scientific coordinator with the WorldWide Antimalarial Resistance Network (WWARN) based at the University of Oxford, UK. She continues to collaborate with WWARN to develop databases and bioinformatics tools for monitoring drug resistance in Plasmodium falciparum.

She leads 皇冠体育’s interdisciplinary team within the HBCU Consortium of Health, Equity, and Data in North Carolina, focusing on analyzing COVID-19 disparities and advancing health equity. Additionally, she partners with local health departments and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services to modernize public health data systems. Dr. Otienoburu has authored over 20 peer-reviewed articles in journals such as Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, PLoS Computational Biology, and the Journal of Infectious Diseases. She was honored with the CATO Par Excellence Teaching Award in 2024 and received the Rising Star Award in 2018 for her success in securing research funding. She serves as an editorial board member for the journal Frontiers in Malaria and as a reviewer for the National Science Foundation and Graduate Women in Science programs.

Dr. Otienoburu also serves as a board member for the North Carolina chapter of SWEA (Swedish Women’s Educational Association) and is a co-founder of a children’s group that organizes monthly activities and performances to celebrate Swedish language and culture. Outside of work, she enjoys yoga, exploring new restaurants with her husband, building Legos with her two sons, and taking walks with their puppy.