Scientific Program

Associate Professor and Jerold B. Katz Endowed Investigator at Houston Methodist's DeBakey Heart and Vascular Center. Fellowship-trained preventive and imaging cardiologist with over 200 peer-reviewed publications. His research on cardiometabolic disease and cardiovascular risk in diverse populations is central to understanding heart disease disparities in Arab American communities.

Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Central Washington University specializing in medical anthropology, structural violence, and displacement in MENA communities. Her multi-sited ethnographic research examines health inequalities and the politics of mortality among marginalized Arab and diasporic populations in the U.S. and abroad.

Endocrinologist and NIH K23 award recipient at Baylor College of Medicine specializing in the prevention and management of cardiometabolic disease including diabetes, obesity, and dyslipidemia. Her research on cardiometabolic risk in multi-ethnic populations informs our understanding of metabolic health disparities relevant to Arab Americans.

Professor of Pathology and Director of Breast Pathology at the University of Michigan with over 140 publications on cancer progression. Immediate past president of NAAMA and founder of NAAMA NextGen. Her landmark research on Arab American health — including obesity, HPV, and COVID-19 vaccine attitudes — was presented at the White House.

Associate Professor at the University of Houston College of Pharmacy and 2025–2026 Fulbright U.S. Scholar. Her research bridges behavioral neuroscience and community health, with published studies on post-resettlement health among refugees and mental health outcomes in Arab and Arab American communities.

Associate Professor and Section Chief of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Chicago Medicine. A graduate of the University of Damascus, his research focuses on global mental health, refugee care, and the neurobiology of emotion in children — making him a leading voice on Arab American youth psychological wellbeing.

Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Michigan's Population Studies Center. Her intersectional research examines how social norms, religion, and migration context shape the reproductive and sexual health of MENA women. She has published foundational work on intimate partner violence and reproductive coercion among Arab American women in Southeast Michigan.

Assistant Professor at the Lester and Sue Smith Breast Center at Baylor College of Medicine specializing in breast oncology and high-risk prevention. Trained at Mayo Clinic, his research on race, ethnicity, and cancer genomics directly informs understanding of cancer disparities in Arab American and other minority populations.

Pharmacology researcher and Fulbright Scholar from Jordan specializing in behavioral neuroscience and stress biology with over 40 publications. She has conducted published research on anxiety and depression prevalence among Houston-based MENA residents and on mental health among Syrian refugees — bringing essential data to Arab American mental health discourse.

Assistant Professor at Boston College and one of the nation's foremost researchers dedicated to Arab American health disparities. Holding a ScD from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, her advocacy for disaggregated MENA health data and publications in leading journals have been instrumental in advancing Arab American health equity nationally.

Physician-scientist and Research Scientist in the Department of Surgery at Houston Methodist Hospital with graduate training in Comparative Effectiveness Research from NYU. Her 37 publications focus on kidney disease, transplant access, and risk prediction models to improve outcomes in underserved populations, including Arab Americans.

Associate Professor of Vascular Surgery at McGovern Medical School, UTHealth Houston, specializing in acute aortic dissection and cardiovascular outcomes in women. Founder of the Women's Vascular and Cardiac Health Initiative (WVACHI), her population-level research on sex-based cardiovascular disparities addresses the health needs of Arab American women.

Double-board certified trauma surgeon and Director of the Global Surgery Program at MUSC. A UNC graduate and former McKinsey healthcare consultant, he has operated in over 55 countries across five continents. His expertise in global surgery and cross-cultural medical care brings an essential international perspective to Arab American health access.