Ocular Epidemiology and Data Science
Oke Lab Located at Boston Children's Hospital
Oke Lab Located at Boston Children's Hospital
The Oke Lab is a research group focused on advancing equity in pediatric vision health. Our work investigates how social, structural, and systemic factors shape access to eye care and influence outcomes for children with vision-threatening conditions. We use tools from epidemiology, health services research, and data science to study vision screening, care delivery, and surgical outcomes.
By leveraging diverse data sources—including electronic health records, national surveys, and insurance claims—we aim to identify gaps in care, inform evidence-based policy, and drive improvements in healthcare systems. Our research is grounded in the belief that all children deserve timely, high-quality eye care, regardless of their background or circumstances.
Our lab focuses on improving patient care through rigorous clinical outcomes research, leveraging diverse healthcare datasets. This includes extensive use of electronic health records from Boston Children Hospital to study conditions such as pediatric cataracts and retinopathy of prematurity.
Additionally, we integrate socioeconomic tools like the Child Opportunity Index to understand how social determinants impact pediatric vision outcomes, helping tailor care models to underserved populations.
Our lab harnesses large-scale national datasets to uncover trends and generate insights in ophthalmic and pediatric health. These include the IRIS Registry, National Health Interview Survey, IBM MarketScan, and the All of Us Research Program, among others. Through advanced analytics and machine learning, we identify patterns in disease prevalence, treatment effectiveness, and disparities in care delivery—powering precision public health and population-level interventions.
Our lab conducts policy research that explores the intersection of vision care and health equity through a systems-level lens. We analyze historic legislative records on pediatric vision health across all 50 states over the past five decades, examining how policy influences access and outcomes. This work is supplemented by national surveys and collaborative studies with the U.S. Departments of Education and Health, enabling data-driven recommendations for improving vision screening, care delivery, and coverage for children.