(Download CV in .pdf format)

Research Interests

Public anthropology; Medical anthropology; Health disparities and social determinants of health; health research with hard-to-reach and vulnerable populations; Human/sexual trafficking; Social Networks Analysis (SNA); urban public health problems (sexual exploitation, opioids); immigration and health; Community-Based and community-engaged health research (CBHR); Restorative justice; Somali history and culture. Geographical areas of specialization: Somalia, Lebanon, United States.

Education

  • B.A. in Applied Anthropology, Indiana University of Pennsylvania (Minor: Existentialism and Phenomenology)
  • M.A. in Applied (Medical) Anthropology, University of South Florida
  • Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology, Florida State University

Summary of qualifications

  • Interdisciplinary applied social scientist with proven track record of collaborating with diverse research teams from medicine, public health, psychiatry, community-based organizations, youth violence prevention NGOs, addiction, mental health, and criminal justice.
  • Over fifteen years teaching, mentoring, and advising undergraduate and graduate students.
  • Passionate about making research useful to non-academics through reciprocal and bi-directional collaboration, research, and teaching with community members and students.
  • Strong advocate and practitioner of ethical and sustainable community-based research and practice with marginalized and high-risk populations.
  • Over twenty years’ experience of collaboration and research with refugee and immigrant populations (Somalis, Kenyans, Iraqis, Ghanaians) in the United States and Kenya.
  • Data scientist with experience in analyzing big data sets (over 5 million records) and small survey datasets and focus groups.
  • Coordinator of academic-public collaborative alliances around public health issues
  • Currently focusing on early childhood trauma as a predictor of social and personal vulnerabilities (addiction, homelessness, gangs, and trafficking /sexual exploitation) by using macro and micro longitudinal data sets
  • Using big datasets for social network analysis to identify and disrupt gang networks.

Teaching and Administrative Experience

Aug. 2009-May 2017; Aug. 2019-May 2020 (Visiting) Assistant Professor of International Development and Social Change – Clark University, Worcester, MA

Courses taught:

  • Networks and Analytics of Development (Graduate and Undergraduate)
  • Healthy Cities (Undergraduate first year intensive)
  • Local Action/Global Change (Undergraduate)
  • Community-Based Health Research (Undergraduate and Graduate)
  • Introduction to Cultural Anthropology (Undergraduate)
  • Gender and Health (Undergraduate and Graduate)
  • Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods (Graduate)
  • Ideologies of “Race” in International Development (Undergraduate and Graduate)
  • Field Research Data Analysis (Graduate)
  • Social Network Analysis (Graduate)
  • Healthy Cities (Undergraduate)

Aug. 2018-Present Director, Community-Based Health Projects

Clark University, Worcester, MA

  • Secured internships for students in the Master in Health Science degree
  • Supervised interns in community-based internships
  • Mentored students in ethical and participatory community-based health research
  • Developed evaluation materials for community agencies to help with data gathering and analysis
  • Analyzed evaluation and intervention efforts
  • Developed marketing materials for community agencies (website, brochures, and other marketing materials)
  • Assisted and coordinated grant-writing activities

May 2017-July 2018 Coordinator, Community and Global Health Program Master in Health Science

Clark University, Worcester, MA

  • Assisted with writing grant application to fund a new graduate program at Clark University ($500,000)
  • Designed and launched MHS degree in Community and Global Health
  • Developed MHS degree curriculum
  • Wrote marketing materials, and oversaw all marketing campaigns for the new degree
  • Recruited graduate students
  • Supported students in transitioning to graduate school

Jan. 2016-July 2017 Coordinator of the Academic Health Collaborative of Worcester (AHCW)

Division of Public Health and Clark University, Worcester, MA

  • Coordinated all internships between the three universities that are part of the AHCW and the Division of Public Health
  • Worked with DPH Chiefs to identify long-term priority areas requiring project design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation
  • Fostered the creation of a collaborative and coordinated public health research network in Worcester and data warehouse containing data, contact names, and current Worcester-based public health projects.
  • With points of contact at each university, ensured the design and implementation of procedures and processes for all projects undertaken by local universities and the DPH to minimize duplication and burden of supervision of interns and “one off” projects

July 2015-May 2017 Director, Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL)

Clark University, Worcester, MA

  • Organized workshop on teaching excellence, diversion and inclusion
  • Supported faculty in the redesign of their syllabi
  • Conducted classroom observations and provided feedback to faculty on improving teaching and classroom engagement

Jan. 2008-May 2008, Jan. 2011-May 2011 Adjunct Faculty

College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA

Courses taught:

  • Global Perspectives on Women’s Health (Undergraduate)
  • Introduction to Cultural Anthropology (Undergraduate)

Aug. 2005-May 2007 Adjunct Faculty

Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL

Courses taught:

  • Peoples of the Middle East (ANT 4930) – Summer 2005
  • The Arab World Today (FOL 3930) – Fall 2006, Spring 2007
  • Women’s Health in Developing Nations (WST 4930) – Summer 2007

Aug. 2004-May 2007 Teaching Assistant and Graduate Research Assistant

Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL

Courses TA’d:

  • Peoples of Africa (Graduate and Undergraduate)
  • Kinship and Social Organization (Graduate and Undergraduate)
  • Introduction to Cultural Anthropology (Undergraduate)
  • Gender Roles – Mesoamerica (Graduate and Undergraduate)
  • Peoples of the World (Undergraduate)
  • Archaeology of Islam (Graduate and Undergraduate)

Data Analysis Experience

Aug. 2016-July 2018 Data scientist – Opioids Overdoses in Worcester

City of Worcester Division of Public Health, Health & Human Services

  • Obtain regular overdose data from Worcester Police Department for analysis
  • Link OD dataset with other prostitution-related arrests to identify risks and intervention possibilities
  • Share reports with Health & Human Services to shape policies and community-based interventions

Aug. 2013-May 2016 Institutional Data Analyst

Clark University, Worcester, MA

  • Generated, designed, and disseminated institutional reports based on NSSE and alumni data
  • Presented results of report at University-wide faculty meetings

Jan. 2002-May 2004 Assistant in Research/Evaluation Manager

University of South Florida, Tampa, FL

  • Coordinated a multi-year large-scale mixed methods research and intervention study with youth who have behavioral and emotional disorders to understand how interventions in living, education, and psychological domains can help individuals have successful transitions into adulthood

Aug. 2015-present Data Analyst – Prostitution-Related Arrests in Worcester

Worcester Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation (WAASE), Worcester Division of Public Health

  • Conduct regular analysis of prostitution-related arrests data to the City of Worcester and the Worcester Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation (WAASE)
  • Participate with ongoing consultations with the Worcester Public Health Department about streamlining analysis and reporting processes.

Interdisciplinary Research Projects

Aug. 2015-Present Lead Investigator

Clark University, Worcester, MA

  • Commercial Sexual Exploitation (CSE) in Worcester, MA: Lead and supervise all research and data initiatives on CSE. Collaborate with law enforcement, community-based organizations, Health and Human Services, and Division of Public Health.
  • Opioid use patterns in Worcester, MA: Lead data analyst and researcher on opioids in Worcester, MA. Collaborative project with law enforcement, community-based organizations, Health and Human Services, and Division of Public Health.
  • Reproductive Health of African Refugees and Immigrants in Worcester, MA: A collaborative project between Clark University and University of Massachusetts Medical School of Nursing
  • Epidemiology of Chronic Diseases, Breast Cancer, and Cervical Cancer in Kenya in collaboration with UMASS Department of Pediatrics and UHAI for Health.

Jan. 2010-May 2010 Co-Lead Investigator

Clark University, Worcester, MA

  • Barriers to HIV testing among African-American homeless women in Worcester: A collaborative project between Clark University and AIDS Project Worcester. (2011-2012)

Supported Research Projects

Jan. 2013-Aug. 2017 Social Networks Analyst – Action Research to Prevent and Reduce Youth and Gang Violence in Worcester, MA. (PI: Ross)

Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security

Oct. 2014-present Social Networks Analyst – Finding Words that Work: Consideration of Cultural-Specific Factors Related to Health Literacy (PI: Morris)

UMASS Medical Graduate School of Nursing

Feb. 2013-June 2015 Co-PI: Holliston Environmental Health Pilot project

Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise

May 2013-May 2015 Social Network Analyst – Collaborations in the Employment Transition Triangle: VR, Adult, and Child Mental Health (PI: Davis)

The Transition Research and Training Center at UMASS

Fellowships and Grants

2012 Davis Educational Grant– Community-Based Health Research

2012 Davis Educational Grant– Revisioning the Harshscapes

2012 Mellon Foundation Fellowship, Difficult Dialogues, Clark University

2012 New Ventures Award, IDCE, Clark University

2006 Eisele Award for Pre-Dissertation Research, Florida State University Anthropology

2006 Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) – Somali

2005 Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) – Swahili

Awards and Honors 

2012 Excellence in Teaching Award – IDCE Students Association

2011 “Above and Beyond” Teaching Award – IDCE Students Association

2006 Nominated for TA of the Year – Florida State University

1997 Recognition for co-editorship of the Society for Feminist Anthropology Newsletter

1999 Website Award for the FGMNetwork.org

1993 Award of Recognition from the Women’s Studies department at Indiana University of PA

Publications and Reports

Peer Reviewed Journal Articles

2017 Crossing the Age Divide: Collaboration between Child and Adult Serving Programs. Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research. M. Davis, N. Koroloff, K. Sabella, M. Sarkis.

2015 The anthropologist, the trickster and the poet: An oral history of Bruce Grindal and the Society for Humanistic Anthropology. Journal of Humanistic Anthropology.

Under Review:

n.d. Exploring Health Literacy among African Immigrant using the NVS and the HLSI-SF. Journal of Health Literacy Research and Practice. N. Morris, C. Nnaji, M. Sarkis.

n.d. Moving Stories: Methodological Challenges to Mapping Narratives and Networks of People in Diasporas. Journal of Refugee Studies. A. Fabos, L. Kahn, M. Sarkis

Reports

2018 Gaps, best practices, and challenges in responding to sex trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation (CSE). Paper Proceedings from the Family Impact Seminar in Boston, MA.

2016 Clark Incoming Students’ Expectations of Institutional Support for the LEEP Learning Outcomes: An Analysis Using BCCSE 2007-2013 SURVEY Data.

2016 Clark Freshman’s Self-Assessment of their Skills and Preparations for the LEEP Learning Outcomes:
An Analysis using The Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) Survey Data 2013-2014.

2016 Report to the Worcester Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation on Prostitution-Related Research including Best Practices, Data Trends, and Police Recommendations.

2015 Report to the Worcester Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation on Prostitution-Related Research including Best Practices, Data Trends, and Police Recommendations.

2015 Students’ Perceptions of Institutional Support for the LEEP Learning Outcomes: An Analysis Using NSSE 2014 SURVEY Data.

2015 Alumni Perceptions of their Progress on Four Learning Outcomes: An Analysis Comparing Four LEEP Learning Outcomes with AAC&U’s Essential Learning Outcomes Using HEDS Data. Worcester, MA: Clark University.

2014 Alumni Perceptions of their Progress on Four Learning Outcomes: An Analysis Comparing Four LEEP Learning Outcomes with AAC&U’s Essential Learning Outcomes Using HEDS Data. Worcester, MA: Clark University.

2014 Magee, Sarkis, Shields: Report to City Council on Infant Mortality in Worcester. Worcester, MA.

2015 Report to the Worcester Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation on Prostitution-Related Research including Best Practices, Data Trends, and Police Recommendations.

2013 Students’ Perceptions of their Progress on Four Learning Outcomes: An Analysis Comparing Four LEEP Learning Outcomes with AAC&U’s Essential Learning Outcomes Using NSSE Data. Worcester, MA: Clark University.

2009 Somali Womanhood: A Re-Visioning. In Empathy and Rage: FGM in Creative Writing. Tobe Levin and Augustine Asaah, eds. Lynn Reiner Press.

2008 Review of Hernlund, Y., and B. Shell-Duncan. 2007. Transcultural bodies : female genital cutting in global context. New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press. Studies in Family Planning 39(3).

2004 Female Cutting and Anthropology: What took us so long to come around? In Flesh and Blood: Perspectives on the Problem of Circumcision in Contemporary Society. G.C. Denniston, F.M. Hodges, and M.F. Milos, eds. Pp. 119-132. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers.

1999 Activism on the World Wide Web: The role of the Internet in the dissemination of circumcision-related information. In Male and Female Circumcision: Medical, Legal, and Ethical Considerations in Pediatric Practice. G.C. Denniston, F.M. Hodges, and M.F. Milos, eds. Pp. 351-356. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers.

Selected Conference and Symposia Presentations and Discussions

2017 “Crossing the academic borders:” participatory academic and survivor-centered community-based responses to sexual exploitation. American Public Health Association, Atlanta, GA November 2017.

2017 “It takes a community”: changing perceptions and attitudes about sexual exploitation through an innovative community-based academic-community survivor-centered alliance to reduce demand for prostitution and to support victims of sexual exploitation. American Public Health Association, Atlanta, GA November 2017.

2017 (Applied) Storytelling: Culturally Appropriate Paths of Change and Interventions to Reduce Power/Knowledge Asymmetry and Incongruences between African Immigrants and Medical Providers. American Public Health Association, Atlanta, GA November 2017.

2017 Mental health experiences and challenges of refugees and immigrants in Worcester, MA. Asian Mental Health Conference. Clark University. May 2017.

2016 Finding Words that Work – African immigrants word associations with terms and concepts related to health promotion, disease prevention and health care in the U.S. 1st Annual Conference on Immigrant Health – Seattle, WA, March 2016.

2016 Improving community health through an innovative collaboration between academics and practitioners through the Worcester Academic Health Department. 5th Annual Community Engagement and Research Symposium, UMASS Medical School Center for Translational Science, March 25, 2016.

2015 Refugee and Immigrant Health Indicators Project: A concept Model for Democratizing, Building, and Sharing of Data with Refugees and Immigrants in the Local Community. Data Day Conference. Boston, MA June 26, 2015.

2015 Measuring collaboration between child and adult-serving programs. 28th Annual Research & Policy Conference: Child, Adolescent, & Young Adult Behavioral Health – Tampa, FL March 2015

2014 Stories and Objects of Remembrance Among Refugees in Central Massachusetts. American Anthropological Association, Washington, DC.

2014 Networks of Leadership in Post-Apartheid South Africa. Sunbelt Conference, St. Petersburg, FL

2013 The anthropologist, the trickster and the poet: An oral history of Bruce Grindal and the Society for Humanistic Anthropology, American Anthropological Association (Chicago, IL)

2011 “Who are you?” Answering the Identity Question Without Essentializing the Self. Millennium Leadership Conference (Worcester, MA)

2010 Resettlement’s Effect on the Domains of Childbirth and Fertility: The Case Study of Somali Bantus in the U.S. African Studies Association (San Francisco, CA)

2009 “’At least eight or ten children:’ The paradox of post-resettlement fertility among certain African communities in the USA”. African Studies Association (New Orleans, LA)

2009 “Healing Wounds, Reclaiming Lost Lives: The Consequences of Female Genital Mutilation”. DPI NGO Relations Cluster in the Department of Public Information, United Nations Headquarters – New York, NY

2006 Personhood in Motion: A Case Study of Refugee Identity in a Medical Context – American Anthropological Association (San Francisco, CA)

2002 Moderator at “Women, Religion, and Modernity” Round Table Discussion at the Holy Names College Core Faculty Conference. (Santa Cruz, CA)

Featured/Invited Lecturer (Selected)

2018 Family Impact Series: “Gaps, Best Practices, and Challenges in Responding to Sex Trafficking,” – Massachusetts State House

2018 Human Trafficking Day presentation on Sexual Exploitation – Massachusetts State House

2018 Data Visualization for Monitoring and Evaluation – Clark University

2017 Participant in “A panel discussion on Domestic Violence: Realities and Supports for Victims in the US and Around the World”

2017 Data and Development – Clark University

2017 Link between prostitution and opioids for the National Library of Medicine.

2017 Social determinants of sexual exploitation from childhood to adulthood: Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) Forum. UMASS Medical School.

2017 Perspectives on Prostitution, Sexuality, and Human Rights in Literature and Life, Clark University.

2017 Data and Development. Lecture presented at Praxis of Development course at IDCE.

2016 Social determinants of sexual exploitation from childhood to adulthood: Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) Forum. UMASS Medical School.

2016 Storytelling, Involuntary Memory, and identity (re)construction in Exile. Lecture presented in People in Exile course at Clark University.

2016 Crime Networks: Gangs. Presentation at the Massachusetts Crime Analysts Meeting. Worcester Police Department, Worcester, MA April 20, 2016.

2016 Workforce Development in Public Health to Address Opioids. Clark University panel on Opioids and Public Health. Worcester, MA March 7, 2016.

2016 Co-Offending Networks: Worcester Gangs. Presentation at Worcester Police Department for Senior Officers, Worcester, MA April 20, 2016.

2016 Female Genital Cutting: Overview and Special Considerations for Immigration and Refugee Relocation. Grand Rounds at UMASS Memorial Hospital. February 2016.

2016 Storytelling, Involuntary Memory, and identity (re)construction in Exile. Presentation to Peoples in Exile. February 29, 2016.

2016 Community Forum on Prostitution. Worcester Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation (WAASE) Worcester, MA.

2016 Sexual Exploitation in Worcester and the work of the Worcester Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation. Presentation to the Worcester Board of Health. February 2016.

2016 Presentation on community-based participatory health research with FYI students to the Board of Trustees at Clark University.

2014 Academic/Community Partnerships for CBPR: A Case study from Worcester and the Ghanaian Healthy Pregnancy project – Nhyira Ba. Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

2014 “Storytelling, Involuntary Memory, and identity (re)construction in Exile”, Clark University, People in Exile.

2012 “Race, Ethnicity, Identity and Beyond: The things that unite and separate us”. Clark University during International Journey Week

2011 “At least eight or ten children”: the paradox of post-resettlement fertility among African refugees in central Massachusetts. Brownbag presentation. Clark University, IDCE.

2011 “Participatory Research Methodologies”, Brandeis University

2010 FGM: Overview and Discussions. Community discussions on FGM with Somali women

2010 Women’s Health and Anatomy. East African Community Outreach (EACO)

2009 “’At least eight or ten children:’ The paradox of post-resettlement fertility among certain African communities in the USA”. FloridaState University History and Anthropology Departments (Tallahassee, FL)

2008 “If we have a daughter, we will never excise her”: Art, popular culture, and African resistance to FGM, College of the Holy Cross (Worcester, MA)

Poster Presentations

2016 The Worcester Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation (WAASE) “It Takes a Community”: Changing Perceptions and Attitudes Through an Innovative Community-Based, Survivor-Driven Program to Reduce Demand for Prostitution and Support Victims of Sexual Exploitation. 5th Annual Community Engagement and Research Symposium, UMASS Medical School Center for Translational Science, March 25, 2016.

2016 Finding Words that Work – African immigrants word associations with terms and concepts related to health promotion, disease prevention and health care in the U.S. 5th Annual Community Engagement and Research Symposium, UMASS Medical School Center for Translational Science, March 25, 2016.

Media Appearances and Features

2017:

08/02/2017 “Firefighter training explores responders’ role in combating addiction” (Telegram.com)

04/23/2017 “New Nonprofit Seeks Treatment to Victims Prostitution, Drugs”, Reporter: Susan Spencer. Telegram and Gazette online edition. Accessed 04/23/2017. http://www.telegram.com/news/20170422/new-nonprofit-seeks-treatment-for-victims-of-prostitution-drugs

7/18/2017 “City collaboration leads to Clark U. global health degree” from the Worcester Business Journal.

3/23/2017 New master’s program launched at Clark – Telegram.com.

3/14/2017 “With $500K grant, Clark starting health master’s program” Worcester Business Journal.

2016:

10/22/2016 “The practice of female circumcision: a follow-up” – ” Al Youm TV [In Arabic]

9/6/2016 Worcester branch of Mandaean faith works to plant roots. Telegram.com.

8/13/2016 In Worcester, Mandaeans seek their own temple – Boston Globe.

8/4/2016 “Outclassed? College classrooms differ greatly from high school counterparts” (Worcester Mag 8/4/2016-8/10/2016)

5/1/2016 “Worcester celebrates first Mandaean Cultural Day”. Telegram.com https://worcestermag.com/2016/05/01/first-mandaean-cultural-day-worcester/42239

10/22/2016 “The practice of female circumcision: a followup” – ” Al Youm TV [In Arabic].

03/17/2016 Coming to America: Syrian Refugees in Worcester. Worcester Magazine, March 17-23, 2016.

2014:

2014 Jenifer McKim and Michael Bottari. “Huge gender divide in prostitution-related arrests”. New England Center for Investigative Journalism. Oct. 5, 2014. http://necir.org/2014/10/05/demand-story/ and Worcester Telegram and Gazette: http://www.telegram.com/article/20141005/NEWS/310059841

2014 Phillip Martin. “Prostitution Arrests: Worcester And Lynn Spotlight The Gender Gap”. WGBH, Oct. 6, 2014. http://wgbhnews.org/post/prostitution-arrests-worcester-and-lynn-spotlight-gender-gap.

2014 Rachel Grumman Bender. “Female Circumcision is Happening in America.” Youbeauty.com. April 30, 2014.

2014 “Town-Gown Partnership Tackles Population Health Management”. Health Data Management. June 26, 2014. http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/news/Town-Gown-Partnership-Tackles-Popoulation-Health-Management-48299-1.html.

2014 Keogh, Jim. “An Ounce of Prevention”. Clark Alumni University Magazine: http://issuu.com/clarkuniversity/docs/alumni_spring_mag_2014_web?e=1288487/7783037, May 2014.

2014 Worcester District Medical Society. “Promoting Healthy Pregnancies in the African Immigrant Community.” WCCA TV 13, Full episode. April 5, 2014.

2010-2012:

2012 Konnie Lukes. “African Women’s Health in Worcester, MA”. WCCA TV 13, Full episode. April 18, 2012. (http://www.wccatv.com/video/coffee-with-konnie/coffeewithkonnie379)

2011 Zaatari, Marwan. “The practice of female circumcision continues despite public health campaigns in the United States” Al Youm TV [In Arabic], October 11, 2011 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=t7cp3RI6SrU).

2011 Susan Chalhoub. “Group hopes to raise African women’s health standards.” Worcester Telegram and Gazette, 4/21/2011 (http://www.telegram.com/article/20110421/FLASH/104219673)

2011 Susan Chalhoub. “Bridging continents, barriers” Worcester Telegram and Gazette, 4/21/2011 (http://www.telegram.com/article/20110421/FLASH/104219614)

2011 Susan Chalhoub. “UHAI focuses on African women’s health.” Worcester Telegram and Gazette, 4/21/2011 (http://www.telegram.com/article/20110421/FLASH/104219896)

2010 Chen, Stephanie. “Pressure for female genital cutting lingers in the U.S.” CNN.com, 5/21/2011 (http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/05/21/america.female.genital.cutting/)

Grants Funded

Trauma-Informed Training for health providers, educators, and community-based agencies to Identify, Treat, and Support Victims of Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Sex Trafficking ($10,000) – National Libraries of Medicine – April/May 2018

Survivor Led Trauma-Informed Pilot Program to Support Victims of Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Sex Trafficking in Worcester ($17,000). UMASS Medical School. In partnership with LIFT and UMASS Medical (Jennifer Bradford, MD, MPH). 05/11/2018

Academic and Professional Service

Aug. 2017-present Clark University health educational and awareness programming:

  • Organized and chaired the first Clark University Summit on Opioids with expert presenters: Commissioner of Health and Human Services, Worcester Police Department, Chief Goulet from Clark University, 2 outreach workers, 1 person in recovery from addiction.
  • Organized Narcan training to Clark students, faculty, and staff.
  • Organized, applied, and successfully received funds from the Worcester Division of Public Health for a medications take-back box to be installed at the University Police. This makes Clark the only university in Massachusetts with such an effort.
  • Organized a medications take-back event on the National Medications Take-back Day that included coordination with the DEA, WPD, and DPH.
  • Organized a sexual assault on campus awareness event with the Title IX coordinator, and staff from Pathways for Change.

Aug. 2010-May 2016 International Development, Community, and Environment (IDCE)

Clark University, Worcester, MA

  • Established and Directed IDCE Human Subjects Ethics Committee, Clark University
    • Advocated for implementing more rigorous IRB process in graduate programs.
    • Pre-review and provided feedback to more than 60 students’ IRB applications every year.
    • Conducted regular workshops on IRB for faculty and students.
    • Consulted with faculty on their IRB applications to ensure standards are met prior to official submission.
    • Liaised with IRB to improve application process and understanding some of the specific ethical issues involved in qualitative research (IRB board consisted mostly of sciences and psychology).
    • Improved IRB approval or conditional approval rate from about 40% to 99%.
  • Spring Fling Committee
  • Communications and Community Committee at IDCE (2010)

Aug. 2015-Aug. 2017 Organized and led the Clark Graduate Teaching Assistants training

  • Organized and led workshops during international graduate students’ orientation on the following topics:
    • Culture shock
    • Academic integrity
    • Surviving college in the United States
    • Making the best of the next two years in graduate school
  • Created and led workshops for graduate students on:
    • Advanced Excel
    • SPSS
    • Qualtrics
    • nVivo

Nov. 2017-Nov. 2019 Secretary and Secretary Elect

Applied Statistics and Research Methods Section of the American Public Health Association

2015 – Nov. 2019 Clerk, Founding board member, and lead evaluator

Living in Freedom Together (LIFT)

2013-present Data and research lead and coordinator

Worcester Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation (WAASE)

2005-present Country area expert for Immigration courts in the United States, UK, and The Netherlands

Somalia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Djibouti

2016-2017 Advisory Board member

March of Dimes Maternal and Child Health Committee

2017-present Board Member

Mandaean Society of Massachusetts

2013-2016 Board member, and board president

Akwaaba African Free Health Clinic, Worcester, MA

2013-2016 Member and Research Coordinator

Nhyira Ba (Blessed Baby)- A special working group from the Worcester Health Baby Collaborative to address African Infant Mortality in Worcester, MA

2013-2015 Data specialist

Department of Public Health – Worcester Healthy Baby Collaborative

Akwaaba African Free Health Clinic, Worcester, MA

2010-2016 President, Board Member, Health Researcher

UHAI for Health, Inc., Worcester, MA

  • Coordinate medical research and service-delivery trips to Kenya to conduct health screenings and needs assessments
  • Foster collaborative research and community engagement between UHAI, UMASS, and Clark
  • Provide opportunities for IDCE students to become involved with issues related to health, immigrant health, and health in developing countries
  • Helped organize the Annual Worcester African Women’s Health Fair

2010-2016 ESL and Civics Teacher; Health Educator; Consultant

Somali Bantu Community Outreach of Massachusetts (SBCO-MA), Worcester, MA

1995-present Director

FGM Education and Networking Project

  • Provide outreach to local communities, speak at conferences, classrooms, and conduct workshops regarding female genital cutting
  • Consultative status for attorneys working on asylum cases by providing them with case studies, background and country reports
  • Coordinate Web site volunteers
  • Web site referenced by BBC, World Health Organization, Amnesty International, and International Planned Parenthood 1995-Present

2009-2012 Chair (2011-2012), Member (2009-2011),

Advisory Committee on the Status of Women, Worcester

  • Led the Committee’s function to formulate, encourage, promote and monitor programs and policies relating to the status of women in the City of Worcester
  • Helped organize the Woman of Consequence and Young Woman of Consequence Awards
  • Assisted with community needs assessment data analysis 2010-2012

2009-2010 ESL Teacher, Health Educator and Women’s Advocate 2009-2010

East African Community Outreach, Worcester, MA

2009 English teacher and volunteer

African Community Education Program, Worcester, MA

2004-2005 Gulf Coast Center for Survivors of War and Torture, Tampa, FL Consultant and Volunteer

  • Conducted training for public health departments, pediatricians, and Ob/GYNs on the health of Somali Bantu refugees being resettled to St. Petersburg, FL. Topics ranged from diversity and cross-cultural communication with patients and families, to traditional practices that affect the health of women and children.
  • Led ethics committees’ meetings at hospitals regarding culturally appropriate/sensitive hospital policies and practices
  • Participated in workshops and conducted needs analysis about health services with local community and medical professionals

2005 Department of Anthropology

Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL

  • Graduate Policy Committee to review Anthropology Department Curriculum FSU Faculty Senate, Academic Computing Committee
  • President of the Anthropology Students Association (2004-2005)

2003 Health and Human Services

Health, Mental Health, & Nutrition Somali-Bantu Subcommittee, Tampa, FL

  • Conducted training for public health departments, pediatricians, and Ob/GYNs on the health of Somali Bantu refugees being resettled to St. Petersburg, FL.
  • Collaborated with a multi-disciplinary medical team to design a “health passport” for incoming refugees

Grant and Journal Reviewer

American Public Health Association Policy Working Group

Human Organization

Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities

Social Science Research Council

Social Sciences

Sustainability

Professional Affiliations and Memberships

2017-2019 American Public Health Association

2015-2017 International Society for Social Network Analysis

2010-2015 American Anthropological Association

2010-2016 African Studies Association

Language Competencies

  • English: Full fluency in writing, reading, speaking
  • Arabic: Native speaker
  • French: Reading and comprehension, speaking out of practice
  • Swahili: Elementary
  • Somali: Elementary

Teaching and Research Approaches

Pedagogical Approaches

  • Critical Pedagogy
  • Problem-Based/Problem-Centered
  • Student-Centered learning
  • Team-Based Learning

Methodological Approaches

  • Action Research
  • Community-Based Health Research
  • Community-Engaged
  • Cultural Consensus (free-lists, pile sorts)
  • Ethnographic
  • Grounded Theory
  • Participatory
  • Phenomenological

Methods:

  • Case Studies
  • Cross-Sectoral Network Evaluation
  • Ethnography
  • Field Surveys (Cross-sectional and longitudinal)
  • Focus Groups
  • Participant Observation
  • Policy Analysis
  • Process-Flow Modeling
  • Semi-Structured Interviews
  • Social Marketing
  • Social Network Analysis
  • Storytelling
  • Structured Observations

Qualitative Analysis

  • Content Analysis
  • Grounded Theory
  • Hermeneutic Analysis
  • Narrative Analysis
  • Thematic analysis

Quantitative Analysis

  • Bivariate analysis
  • Univariate analysis

Analytics

  • Data Mining
  • Data Visualization
  • DB design and management
  • Descriptive analytics
  • Diagnostic Analysis
  • Data Wrangling/Cleaning
  • Data Integration

Technical Competencies

Web:

  • HTML 4
  • CSS 3
  • WordPress templating
  • WordPress customization
  • Adobe CS suite
  • MySQL
  • Familiarity with PHP, Python 3.7, and R
  • Qualtrics

Analytics

  • Tableau 10.2
  • SPSS 22 (UI and Syntax)

Social Network Analysis

  • Gephi 9.2
  • UCINET

Qualitative Data Analysis

  • ti
  • nVivo
  • Anthropac
  • Flame

Course Management

  • Moodle

Citations Management

  • Endnote
  • Zotero