Student story: Maya Ogonah

The journey so far

Tell us about yourself!

I am a 4^th year DPhil in Psychiatry student at Linacre College. I was raised in Sandy, a small town north of London, and attained my first degree in Psychology at King’s College London. I’m biracial, my father was born and raised in Jamaica and my mother is British, and I was one of the first scholars on the Black Academic Futures scholarship. Attaining this scholarship was integral to being able to study at Oxford and start my PhD journey.

What has your time at Oxford been like? 

Moving to Oxford from London took some adjusting, especially as I moved here in October 2021, just after the Pandemic. However, after being in Oxford for three years now I’ve really grown to love the city, but most importantly have met so many interesting people along the way!

What are you involved in outside of your studies?

Outside my PhD thesis work, I’ve been in various different communities. However, over the last year I’ve spent a lot of time co-founding and managing a journal club on race and psychiatric research based in the Department of Psychiatry. In May 2023, I attended a Race & Health: Reckoning with the past and present to secure better futures event at Green Templeton with now Oxford Alum, and current UCL student, Anabelle Paulino. At this event, members of the Race & Health Network and contributors to the Lancet 2022 series explored how racial categorisation and minoritisation impact health, and how researchers must interrogate these issues in order to advance a more equitable future. Anabelle and I were inspired by the thoughtful conversations being held, and we decided to try to bring discussions on how race and ethnicity is considered in psychiatric research to the Department of Psychiatry. With the help of the departmental Racial Equality Working Group, Anabelle and I founded the monthly Race and Psychiatry Journal Club.

How did you get involved and what has it brought to your personal and Oxford experience?

At the Race & Psychiatry Journal Club, each month a relevant paper is presented – either by one of the authors or by a researcher not connected to the paper – followed by a discussion. It has been a big commitment for myself and Anabelle whilst we have been working on their theses (our research areas are not directly related to race and ethnicity) but has been an apparent success with a regular and consistent attendance from staff and students in the department! It has been great to provide an open space which allows for thoughtful dialogue, and I have gotten to meet and know other researchers in the department who I wouldn’t have otherwise crossed paths with. It has also been personally rewarding to start a seminar series ourselves as students, and I have learnt a lot through the process! It’s also been wonderful to create the journal club with my close friend Anabelle – bickering aside, it has made planning so much easier and more fun!

Looking to the future

What are your future aspirations for yourself?

At this point, I am concentrating on finishing the PhD! I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, so a lot of my efforts are being funneled into finishing my final work packages and writing up. I am scoping out potential postdoctoral opportunities which would allow me to continue my research on violence epidemiology in traumatic brain injury survivors. I would also love the opportunity to conduct research in a non-profit setting, such as research on justice & violence, women and girls, or sexual assault/domestic violence.

What opportunities are there for other students to get involved

There is always the opportunity for students to get involved – whether that be in the Department of Psychiatry or setting up something similar in your own research centres. I’m always open to further discussions on this! Please drop me an email at [email protected]. You can also find updates on the journal club via our Twitter/X page at @OxRacePsych.