Olufunke Y. Martin

Olufunke Y. Martin, M.D., serves as Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology and Oncology at UT Southwestern Medical Center, having joined the faculty in 2023.

Her educational trajectory includes:

• Bachelor of Science in Human Biology from Brown University
• Medical degree from Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
• Pediatric residency at Riley Hospital for Children (Indianapolis, Indiana)
• Pediatric hematology/oncology fellowship at Children’s National Hospital (Washington, D.C.)
• Current Master of Clinical Research candidate through NIH-Duke University Clinical Research Training Program

Dr. Martin specializes in pediatric hematology with intense focus on sickle cell disease (SCD) therapeutics. Her research dissects red blood cell physiology dynamics and vaso-occlusive pain mechanisms, leveraging biomarkers to unravel clinical heterogeneity in SCD patients. She pioneers multi-modal pain management strategies to enhance patient-centered outcomes, bridging clinical practice with translational investigation in hemoglobinopathy pathophysiology.

Key recognitions include:

• American Society of Hematology Minority Hematology Fellow Award
• NIH T32 Training Grant Fellowship during fellowship

As a newly appointed faculty member, Dr. Martin leverages her T32 fellowship foundation to develop clinical research protocols while advancing her methodology through the NIH-Duke training program. Her position inherently involves mentoring medical trainees in pediatric hematology/oncology, with emerging focus on sickle cell disease management frameworks and pain intervention trials.