Biography

I am currently an Assistant Professor of Wellness, Health Promotion and Injury Prevention in the School of Health Sciences at Oakland University. As a Chaldean (Iraqi Catholic) immigrant growing up in a racially and ethnically diverse community, I was curious why some individuals led healthy lives, while others did not. For my Master’s in Public Health thesis, I interviewed 130 Chaldean American women in Detroit to better understand the link between acculturation and blood pressure. After that experience, I knew my passion was to promote health and prevent disease in minority communities. After obtaining my PhD and completing a two-year Kellogg Health Disparities Post-Doctoral Fellowship, I began as an assistant professor at the University of Texas, School of Public Health in Dallas. During my three years in Dallas, and while teaching and mentoring students, I published several manuscripts, many related to the health of Arab and Chaldean-Americans. In 2006, I received a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to analyze national data focusing on quality of health care among immigrants. In July 2009, I received a grant from the Michigan Center for Urban African American Aging Research to analyze American Community Survey data to better understand disability status of Arab, Hispanic, and Asian Americans 65 years of age or older. Through all of these experiences, I have discovered that balance breeds happiness. Therefore, I treasure spending time with my family and hiking and running with my two dogs.

Degrees

PhD, Preventive Medicine & Community Health, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, 2004

MPH, Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, 1999

MS, Middle Eastern Studies, Rackham Graduate School, University of Michigan, 1999

BS, Biology, University of Michigan, 1996