Principal Investigators
Ramzi Salloum, PhD Dr. Salloum is Associate Professor and the Director of the Division of Health Outcomes and Implementation Science in the Department of Health Outcomes & Biomedical Informatics at the University of Florida College of Medicine. Salloum also serves as the Associate Director of Community Outreach and Engagement at the UF Health Cancer Center and the Director of the Learning Health System Program at the UF Clinical and Translational Science Institute. Dr. Salloum’s research focuses on the implementation and dissemination of evidence-based practices, especially in cancer prevention and control. He has a demonstrated research record in the area of health services research across diverse health system and policy settings, with a particular focus on the implementation of evidence-based programs. This work has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, the Florida Department of Health, the International Development Research Centre, and Cancer Research UK.
Rima Nakkash, DrPH Dr. Nakkash is a Professor in the Global and Community Health Department at the College of Public Health at George Mason University in the US. She is a leading international scholar in tobacco control research in prevention and policy evaluation. She has published on community based participatory research initiatives as well as process, and implementation research particularly with youth and disadvantaged populations with a focus on mental health promotion. She is interested in civic and citizen engagement in health policy making, translation of evidence-based public health to inform interventions and policy, advocacy for health, research ethics and conflict of interest between corporations and public health. She co-coordinates a global network on Governance on Ethics and Conflict and interest in Public Health (GECI-PH). She is a strong tobacco control advocate at national, regional, and international levels and believes in the power of partnerships and coalitions. In partnership with civil society and media, she had a major role in the passage of the most comprehensive tobacco control law while in Lebanon in 2011. In 2013, she was granted the international WHO World No Tobacco Day Award by Dr. Margaret Chan, the WHO Director at that time.
Study Investigators:
Tamar Kabakian, PhD Dr. Kabakian is an Associate Professor at the Department of Health Promotion and Community Health in the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) at the American University of Beirut (AUB). She has conducted a number of intervention and implementation research studies related to improving health outcomes in Arab countries and teaches implementation research, maternal health, health communication, and research design among other courses in the MPH program at the Faculty of Health Sciences.
Maya Romani, MD Dr. Romani is an assistant professor and a practicing physician in the Department of Family Medicine at the AUB Faculty of Medicine. She is the director of the AUB Smoking Cessation Program, director of the AUB Health and Wellness Center, and associate director of the AUB Family Medicine Residency Program. She is a certified tobacco treatment specialist.
Mona Osman, MD Dr. Osman is an Assistant Professor of Family Medicine, the medical director of the family medicine clinics, the coordinator of community and outreach activities, and the director of the fellowship in primary care sports medicine in the Department of Family Medicine at the American University of Beirut (AUB). She is also the Director of University Health Services and the Co-Director of the refugee health program at AUB. Dr. Osman is the Head of the Training Committee of the Scientific Council of Family Medicine at the Arab Board of Health Specializations, leading the implementation of the regional professional diploma in family medicine. She is the President of the Lebanese Society of Family Medicine. Dr. Osman has a master’s in public health, a master’s in business administration, and a master’s degree in medical education for healthcare professionals. Dr. Osman collaborated with the World Health Organization and the Ministry of Public Health in different projects related to strengthening primary healthcare including the development of essential health packages, development of clinical algorithms, and conducting capacity building workshops to health care providers in primary health care centers.
Donna Shelley, MD Dr. Shelley is a tenured Professor and Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Public Health Policy and Management and the founding Director of the Global Center for Implementation Science and Practice at the NYU School of Global Public Health. She conducts translational, population-based, and policy-relevant research that aims to accelerate dissemination and implementation of tobacco use treatment in safety net health care delivery systems and implementation of tobacco control policies.
Jennifer LeLaurin, PhD Dr. LeLaurin is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Outcomes & Biomedical Informatics at the University of Florida College of Medicine. She also serves as the Assistant Director of the Learning Health System Program at the UF Clinical and Translational Science Institute and co-leads the Tobacco Control Working Group at the University of Florida Cancer Center. Dr. LeLaurin has a background in implementation science and public health and over ten years of experience in tobacco control. She specializes in using qualitative and mixed-methods approaches to support the implementation of technology-based interventions in clinical settings. Her research focuses on leveraging the electronic health record to improve adherence to clinical practice guidelines for tobacco dependence treatment.
Ji-Hyun Lee, DrPH Dr. Lee is a professor of biostatistics in the UF College of Medicine and the College of Public Health and Health Professions, Department of Biostatistics. She is also the Associate Director for Cancer Quantitative Sciences and Biostatistics Shared Resource of the UF Health Cancer Center, where she oversees the day-to-day functions of the Shared Resource. Her research expertise includes group randomized trials, methods for repeated measurements, and best statistical practices.
Kenneth Ward, PhD Dr. Ward is an assistant Dean of Faculty Affairs, and professor at the College of Population health at the University of New Mexico. Dr. Ward previously founded and directed the Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences at The University of Memphis School of Public Health. Trained as a clinical health psychologist, his research and clinical work focuses on community-, healthcare system-, and population-level approaches to reduce the burden of tobacco use. Dr. Ward was co-founder and Intervention Director of the NIH-funded Syrian Center for Tobacco Studies where he directed clinical trials of cigarette and waterpipe (“hookah”) cessation. He was also a Fulbright Scholar at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and continues collaborating there to improve the delivery of smoking cessation services to underrepresented populations. Other interests include behavioral and community approaches to improve chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis.
Staff
Catherine Al Ashkar, MA Ms. El Ashkar has a MA in Global Development from the University of Leeds, UK (2019) and BSc in Public Health and Development Sciences (2015). She has 4 years experience as a research coordinator on a multi-method multi-country study on research ethics in the MENA region and has conducted qualitative research in a study on commercial determinants of health. She has experience in conducting research, training, and surveys in refugee camps and primary health care centers across Mount Lebanon and Greater Beirut.
Jihan Khaywa, LD, MPH, TTS Ms. Khaywa holds a master’s degree in public health concentrating in Epidemiology and Biostatistics in addition to Bachelors of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics. She is also certified as a tobacco treatment specialist from King Hussein Cancer Center. Ms. Khaywa has three years of experience in research, behavioral counseling, project coordination, data analysis and training delivery.
Lama El Kadi, MPH, BS Ms. El Kadi has a master’s degree in public health- Health Management and Policy (2013) and a Bachelor of Sciences degree in Medical Laboratory Sciences (2009). She started her career at AUB in 2013 and has 10 years of experience in research and tobacco control, data management and analysis, project/program coordination and budgeting and planning as well as reporting, monitoring and evaluation of the emotional support and suicide prevention National Lifeline KPIs.
Ruba Abla, MPH, BSN Ms. Abla has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the American University of Beirut (2015) and a master’s degree in Public Health, Health Promotion and Community Health from the American University of Beirut (2017). Ms. Abla has been working at the American University of Beirut, Faculty of Health Sciences since 2018 and has 6 year experience in project coordination. Ms. Abla worked on different projects related to health policy and tobacco control. She has experince in qualitative research methods and analysis, data management, project management and coordination and budgeting.
Derek Li, MS Mr. Li is a Biostatistician 2 staff member at the University of Florida Health Cancer Center. He has two years of working experience as a biostatistician, and he also worked 1 year as a Chicago Public Schools teacher. Mr. Li earned his master’s degree in information systems and operations management at the University of Florida with a concentration in data science.
Dima Bteddini, MS Ms. Bteddini is a Graduate Research Assistant at the University of Florida, College of Medicine, Department of Health Outcomes and Biomedical Informatics, where she is currently pursuing a Ph.D. degree in Health Outcomes and Implementation Science. Her research interests include the use of implementation science in tobacco control, particularly in relation to novel tobacco products within a global health context. Dima’s research experience involves designing, implementing and evaluating public health programs, including waterpipe tobacco smoking prevention intervention.
Magda Montague, MPH Ms. Montague has a Master of Public Health, with a concentration in Social Behavioral Sciences, and a bachelor’s in health education, both from the University of Florida. She began her career at the Florida Department of Health – Alachua County in the Department of Tobacco Control and Policy as a health education consultant and public health policy specialist. She has eight years of experience managing research projects including clinical trials testing educational interventions for caregivers of Veterans as well as a variety of quality improvement projects ranging from pain management interventions in the Emergency Department to suicide prevention efforts in Veterans.