Dr. Hanan Abdul Rahim is an Associate Professor and Dean of the College of Health Sciences at Qatar University, the country’s largest national university. She has a PhD in Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine from the University of Oslo, Norway (2003); a MSc in Biology from Illinois State University, IL, USA (1994), and a BSc in Biology from Salem College, NC, USA (1992).
Dr. Abdul Rahim has over 20 years of experience in the field of public health and has devoted her career to public health education and research in the region. She was the founding Coordinator of the BSc in Public Health program (2012-2014) at Qatar University, one of the founding faculty members of Qatar’s first Master of Public Health (MPH) program (2015), and the Head of the Department of Public Health between 2017 and 2019. In 2008, Dr. Abdul Rahim became one of the founding members of the Social and Economic Survey Research Institute (SESRI) at Qatar University, the country’s first academic-based survey research organization. As the Associate Director of SESRI, she was instrumental in the planning and execution of several large population-based social and health surveys feeding into policy making. Before moving to Qatar, Dr Abdul Rahim was at the Institute of Community and Public Health (ICPH) in Birzeit University, where she coordinated the Diploma in Primary Health Care and Master of Public Health programs. She continues to teach epidemiology and public health courses at the graduate and undergraduate levels and to supervisor student research.
Dr. Abdul Rahim’s research interests are at the intersection of social science and public health, with a special interest in the social determinants of non-communicable diseases and the health and well-being of women. She has participated in several funded research studies and has authored a range of research and policy-oriented articles and reports in leading academic journals, including the Lancet, Health Policy, and Health Policy and Planning.
Dr. Abdul Rahim is an active figure in the regional public health community. She has provided training and consultation to a number of international health and development agencies, including UNFPA and EMRO/WHO. At the national level, Dr. Abdul Rahim is a member of the National Public Health Committee and the National Data Observatory Committee in Qatar. In the COVID19 response, she serves as a member of the Scientific Research and Reference Group, a national level multi-stakeholder body providing technical evidence-based advice on COVID19 response and chaired the Epidemiology and Surveillance Working Group.
Contact Information:
Hanan.arahim@qu.edu.qa
