I am an internist and an epidemiologist with over 20 years of experience as an academic physician, focusing on medical education, research training and faculty development, as well as research on the health of marginalized and underserved women. During this time, I have had the opportunity to work in centers of excellence in the United States, including Emory University, Johns Hopkins University and the Penn State College of Medicine, as well as one of the leading academic centers in South Asia, Aga Khan University (AKU) in Pakistan. I have recently started in the role of Medical Professor and Chair of the Department of Community Health and Social Medicine at The City University of New York School of Medicine (CUNY Med). 

My research has focused on women's health, specifically the conduct of randomized trials of pregnancy interventions and the establishment of community-based surveillance of maternal and child health outcomes, as well as studies on family planning, domestic violence, mental health, and substance abuse among women. From 2004 to 2016, I led the Pakistan site of the NICHD-funded Global Network for Women's and Children's Health Research. I established a research group with diverse funding streams and interdisciplinary collaborations to produce high-quality research with a demonstrable impact on women in low resource settings. I advise on trial design in various clinical disciplines, ranging from neurology to emergency medicine. Since returning to the US, I have been involved in projects to evaluate the state of adolescent health and establish maternal-newborn health surveillance mechanisms in Afghanistan and been involved in work on pregnancy outcomes in rural Pennsylvania. Additionally, I have been involved in work on physician wellness and burnout as well as an RCT to assess mechanisms to prevent the prevention of transmission of SARS-CoV-2.
I have been a teacher, advisor, and mentor for trainees in medicine, public health, and nursing. I have been involved in both classroom and bedside teaching, with a focus on epidemiological methods, trial design, mental health and women’s health, as well as clinical education of medical students and residents in internal medicine, both outpatient and inpatient practice. I have supervised graduate and doctoral theses and served as a committee member for students at Emory University, Aga Khan University, Johns Hopkins, and Penn State. It has been my privilege to work with outstanding trainees from across the world. I served as the program director of the MSc Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Clinical Research) at AKU.  At Penn State, I co-directed the College of Medicine's Junior Faculty Development Program and was Master Educator in the Penn State Internal Medicine Residency Program.

At CUNY Med, I look forward to bringing to bear all my experiences to date to serve both under-resourced populations in the United States and continue my global health work in women’s health. As a leader in the School of Medicine, I aim to optimize the CHASM curriculum of the BS/MD and PA programs and optimally integrate this department with clinical education. With the increasing recognition of health systems science in improving both individual care for patients and enhancing the function of the healthcare system as a whole, I believe CHASM at CUNY-Med can play an integral role as a leader in the field of community oriented medical education and social determinants of health. I look forward to the opportunity to be a leading voice in this conversation.