Ikenna Odii
- State University Faculty
Recent and upcoming courses
Fall 2025
Biography
Dr. Ikenna O. Odii, PhD, MSN, is a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Nursing in the Doctor of Nursing Practice Program at the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Metro State University, Saint Paul, Minnesota. He earned his PhD in nursing science from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, MSc in nursing education from the University of the West Indies, and BSc in nursing from Ebonyi State University.
With over 15 years of combined clinical, academic, and nurse educator experience, Dr. Odii has worked across the United States, Jamaica, Belize, Israel, and Nigeria. He previously served as a nursing lecturer at the University of Belize and the University of Technology, Jamaica, teaching courses including Medical-Surgical Nursing, Health Assessment, Pathophysiology, and Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing.
Dr. Odii’s research centers on biomedical HIV prevention and healthy aging with HIV, particularly among college students and vulnerable populations. He applies a health disparities and equity lens to his work, aiming to improve health outcomes, promote sexual health, and support community-engaged research. Having earned research publication credits in multiple peer-reviewed journals resulting in over 20 citations, his scholarly contributions include 17 peer-reviewed publications and more than 15 conference presentations. In 2024, he received the Award of Excellence from the HIV/AIDS Section of the American Public Health Association (APHA) during its Annual Meeting and Expo in Minneapolis.
Employing a team science and interdisciplinary approach, Odii’s broader research portfolio includes studies on substance use among youth and the impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on mental and sexual reproductive health. His ongoing commitment to academic excellence and social impact reflects his passion for addressing health inequities and advancing public health, especially among communities disproportionately affected by HIV.
RESEARCH FOCUS
Biomedical HIV Prevention | Health Equity & Disparities | PrEP Awareness & Uptake Global & Community Health | Cognitive Aging with HIV | Sexual & Reproductive Health Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) | African Diaspora Health | Public Health Nursing
SELECTED PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS
• Odii, I. O., et al. (2025). Executive functioning training for reducing cognitive intra-individual variability in people living with HIV: A pilot RCT protocol. Nursing: Research and Reviews.
• Chipalo, E., Odii, I. O. (2025). Childhood Maltreatment and Suicide Risk Behaviors among Adolescents with HIV in Zimbabwe. Adversity and Resilience Science.
• Odii, I. O., Chipalo, E. (2024). Multi-Dimensional Predictors of HIV PrEP Knowledge and HIV Testing among Young Men in Ghana. Open Access Library Journal.
• Odii, I. O., et al. (2024). HIV PrEP Coverage among Black Adults: A Concept Analysis of Inequities and Implications. Health Equity.
• Odii, I. O., et al. (2024). Systematic Review: HIV PrEP Awareness and Use among Black College Students in the U.S. Texila International Journal of Public Health.
10+ additional peer-reviewed articles in areas of HIV, ACEs, global health, and mental health available via ORCID link https://orcid.org/0009-0004-2632-9215.
SELECTED MANUSCRIPTS UNDER REVIEW
• Odii, I. O., et al. (2025). Executive functioning and cognitive variability in adults with HIV: An interim case analysis. Nursing: Research and Reviews. (submitted).
• Odii, I. O. (2024). Assessment of Sex-Related Correlates of Condom Use Behavior Among Adolescents and Young Adult Men in Ghana. African Journal of Health Sciences
• Odii, I. O., Chipalo, E. (2024). Structural Violence Against People Suspected of HIV in Nigeria. African Journal of Health Sciences (submitted).
• Jones, M., Odii, I. O., et al. (2025). Anxiety Among Perinatal Women Living with HIV: A Scoping Review. Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (submitted).
ACCEPTED CONFERENCE ABSTRACTS
• Odii, I. O., Chipalo, E (2025). Predictors of HIV PrEP Knowledge and HIV Testing among Adolescents and Young Adult Men in Ghana. Accepted for poster presentation at the November 2025 American Public Health Association (APHA) conference in Washington DC.
• Odii, I. O., Mumba, M. N., Elopre, L., Corcoran, J. L., Vance, D. E., Chapman Lambert, C. (2025). ‘I never even knew that there was something like that’: Identifying barriers to HIV PrEP awareness among Sub-Saharan African college students in the United States. Accepted for poster presentation at the November 2025 American Public Health Association (APHA) conference in Washington DC.
• Odii, I. O. (2025). A Qualitative Description of the HIV Testing Experiences of Sub-Saharan African College Students in the United States. Accepted for oral presentation at the 2025 Annual Scientific Conference on Global Health of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses in North America (NANNNA) scheduled from November 6 to 8, 2025, in San Francisco California.
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
Oral Presentations:
• 2024: Male Circumcision, HIV Knowledge & Prevention in Nigeria – National Association of Nigerian Nurses in North America (NANNNA), presented in Raleigh North Carolina.
• 2024: Executive Functioning Training in Older Adults with HIV – Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (ANAC), presented at Indianapolis, Indiana
Poster Presentations:
• 2025: HIV PrEP Awareness Among Sub-Saharan African College Students in the U.S. – BHAC National Summit, University of Virginia Charlottsville
• 2025: HIV PrEP Knowledge and Testing in Ghanaian Youth – Southern Nursing Research Society (SNRS) Annual Conference Tennessee
Full conference record with 15 presentations available.
AWARDS/HONORS
• 2024 American Public Health Association (APHA) award winner for ‘Excellence in Abstract Submission on an International Topic’ in the APHA HIV/AIDS section.
