INTO celebrates World Health Day

Dr. Bakry Elmedni is the Associate Professor School of Business, Public Administration and Information Sciences at Long Island University Brooklyn.

He teaches organizational theory and behavior, management of human behavior in public and non-profit organizations, and managerial communications.

He has been with LIU’s Brooklyn Campus since 2014 when he joined as an assistant professor in the MPA Program.

“Evidence from various health studies shows that social factors such as how we live and what we eat play a big role in our health outcomes as a community. Scientists call these social determinants of health; I call it making purposeful efforts to take matters into our own hands. Not all people around the globe have access to quality healthcare systems, but all of us can strive to live a healthy life as a preventive measure. International students can play a vital role in raising awareness about these choices and advancing global health.”

Previously, Dr. Elmedni has worked in the field of international development in the Middle East and East Africa. He has worked with international and local NGOs, in the areas of economic development, conflict resolution, organizational development, public management, and public policies.

Dr. Elmedni is highly experienced and has a deep understanding of the role played by governments in a globalized world during times of economic challenges and fiscal difficulties.

He is also highly experienced in the areas of program design and evaluation, policy and planning, civil society and non-profit management, and community development.

Dr. Elmedni’s endeavors are aimed at equipping MPA students with sophisticated knowledge about the changing role of the government society, in response to technological advances and economic hardships, particularly, the effect and influence of these changes on the institutional behavior of public sector organizations and their employees.

Dr. Elmedni’s areas of research comprise the role of civil society in governance, mainly the role of social networks in changing public decision-making modes, the democratization of leadership in civic initiatives, and non-profit strategies to cope with fiscal austerity and social justice in an increasingly globalized society.

Dr. Isma H. Chaudhry is the Executive in Residence, Graduate Public Health Programs at Hofstra University.

A physician by profession, her interests in public health are related to the healthcare infrastructure in developing countries, ethnic barriers to primary care, minority and immigrant health and health disparities in the US. She also works as a diversity & sensitivity coach and inclusion & cultural humility consultant at various government and private organizations.

She is a time-honoured advocate of interfaith initiatives and a fierce proponent of equity and social justice for all. She has been involved with the Islamic Center of Long Island (ICLI) for more than 25 years. In 2015, the Center elected her as its first female president and in 2018, she became the first female Chairperson of the Center’s Board of Trustees.

"Health should be a global priority. May this year, we all partner to serve underserved communities around the world. Together we can do more!"

Dr. Chaudhry has made numerous public appearances and addresses at the United Nations, the Grassroot Models for Interfaith conference, the United States Institute of Peace and the United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect.

A champion of women’s rights, Dr. Chaudhry has promoted mentoring, career planning, and leadership programs to empower women and enhance their academic and vocational opportunities. In 2021, she launched her not-for-profit organization, ‘Waris Foundation’, to address the needs of distressed communities in Southeast Asia.

Over the years, Dr Chaudhry has regularly featured in Long Island’s list of influential people and was also named among the 50 most influential Long Islanders (Power 50) in 2020. In 2021, she was inducted into the Long Island Press Hall of Fame. In 2022, the Hispanic Counseling Center honoured her for her service to Diversity; the Long Island Business Press inducted her into its Hall of Fame and The Boys Scouts of America awarded her with the Good Scout Award - 2022 for leading their diversity committee.

Professor Max Bachmann is the Professor of Health Services Research at the Norwich Medical School of the University of East Anglia (UEA).

He is an academic public health physician, clinical epidemiologist and health services researcher. Prof Bachmann has worked in 4 medical schools, in the UK (Bristol, UEA) and South Africa (Cape Town, Free State), doing epidemiological and health services research, and teaching public health and research methods to medical and postgraduate research students.

He completed his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) and Diploma in Occupational Health from the University of Cape Town, MSc (Public Health Medicine) from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and PhD, from the University of Bristol. He holds a fellowship at the Faculty of Public Health, United Kingdom.

He did public health specialist training in South Africa and the UK along with British health services researchers and public health colleagues.

“In my career to date, I’ve had the opportunity to work on innovation, integration and evaluation of health care for some of the most pressing health problems of our time, such as HIV/AIDS, TB, diabetes, hypertension and depression. One of my main areas of focus has been to enhance the primary care on offer, especially in Africa and South America, and in low and middle-income countries, which aligns with a leading sentiment for World Health Day - Health For All. In my recent work for the National Health Service and overseas, it’s been a real privilege to work alongside such committed healthcare professionals who are determined to make a real difference in people’s lives.”

During his days as a medical student and junior doctor in 1980s South Africa, Prof Bachmann was active in anti-apartheid student and health politics. This led him into occupational health and safety, consulting and doing epidemiological research for non-racial trade unions. With the demise of apartheid, he realized that great health benefits could come from the expansion and strengthening of public sector primary health care. So he switched to health services research. The research methods used by him include the evaluation of complex interventions with cluster randomized trials, cost-effectiveness evaluation, and interdisciplinary mixtures of epidemiology, economics and social science.

His key research interests include

• Improvement of health care and population health,
• Primary health care, especially in Africa and South America, low and middle-income countries, and the NHS,
• Innovation, integration and evaluation of health care for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, respiratory disease, diabetes, hypertension, depression, cancer, and other long-term conditions,
• Implementation research: how to get evidence into practice through complex interventions aimed at changing professional, and organizational behavior, for example using education and clinical practice guidelines.

Prof Bachmann has worked with the Knowledge Translation Unit of South Africa (KTU) continuously for 20 years.

Minghao Zheng is the Winthrop Professor of Orthopaedic Research at The University of Western Australia.

He has contributed significantly to the understanding of fundamental bone biology and translating research into industry and commercialisation.

Professor Zheng's career has centred on bone and joint research and regenerative medicine. He pioneered the development of collagen scaffolds and cell therapy to treat cartilage, tendon and ligament injury, and is a global leader in the regeneration of tendon and cartilage using a patient’s own stem cells.

He developed the Matrix-induced Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation (MACI) cartilage repair protocol and Autologous Tenocyte Therapy (ATT) for tendon repair. His work on the Giant Cell Tumour of bone is used by the World Health Organisation for the official classification of bone tumours.

“Being an international student you are not home with your family, it is even more important for you to have a positive lifestyle and maintain mental health well-being and physical activity, of any kind”.

After studying medicine at Shantou University and Sun Yat-sen University of Medical Sciences in China, Prof Zheng came to The University of Western Australia in 1989, receiving a PhD in 1993 and Doctor of Medicine in 2000. He is a fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists, UK and the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia. He is a member of Faculty 1000 Prime and Associate Editor of Stem Cell Research and Therapy.

His published works include over 250 papers. He holds eight patented grants in Australia, the USA, Japan, Singapore, Europe and China.

In addition to his academic roles, Prof Zheng is also the Co-Founder and Consultant Chief Scientific Officer of Orthocell Limited, a biomedical healthcare company.

Dr. Ravi Nayak is an accomplished academic physician who holds multiple prestigious positions at Saint Louis University School of Medicine.

He is the James B. and Ethel D. Miller Endowed Chair in Internal Medicine, Interim Chairman and Professor of Internal Medicine, Director of the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine and Director of the Adult Cystic Fibrosis Program.

Dr. Nayak has been a driving force behind the growth and success of these programs, expanding critical care services and increasing the size and scope of fellowship programs.

“Celebrating 75 years of WHO on this World Health Day should serve as a reminder to the younger generation of the important role played by healthcare workers all across the world for all of these years, for the betterment of society. We are undoubtedly living in the best times of globalization. No better time than now to acknowledge, laud and encourage the role of our international students, who harness their excellent training skills, diverse experiences, cultural insights, and perspectives, to make a significant and positive impact on global health care.”

He received his medical degree from Karnataka University, India and completed his training in Internal Medicine at Kasturba Medical College, India. He has completed a residency in Internal Medicine, and a fellowship in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Saint Louis University School of Medicine and is board certified in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Disease, and Critical Care Medicine.

Dr. Nayak is a recognized expert in the fields of cystic fibrosis, sarcoidosis and pulmonary complications of cirrhosis of the liver. He has authored numerous book chapters and articles in peer-reviewed journals, presented at international conferences and participated in industry-sponsored research projects. He also serves on the National Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Center Committee.

Dr. Nayak holds the Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians (FRCP) of London, and the Fellowship of American College of Chest Physicians. Additionally, Dr. Nayak has consecutively featured on the Best Doctors, Inc. list since 2012.

As Interim Chairman of Internal Medicine, Dr. Nayak has demonstrated outstanding leadership in expanding hospital medicine and critical care services, developing innovative clinical programs and advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. He has recruited multiple leaders and significantly grown the faculty while maintaining a focus on providing exceptional patient care and advancing medical research.

Dr. Nayak is committed to mentoring the next generations of physicians and health care leaders, and he supervises trainees in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine.  Dr. Nayak's dedication to his patients, his colleagues, and his field has earned him a reputation as a physician leader.

Dr. Tino Unlap is the Professor and Director of the Biotechnology Program in the Department of Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB)

He received his PhD in Biochemistry/Molecular Biology from Kansas State University followed by postdoctoral training in Oncology and Behavioral Neurobiology at UAB -studying the roles that immediate early genes play in the pathogenesis of malignancy and neuronal degeneration.

Dr. Unlap was given a faculty appointment in the Department of Medicine, where he began his study of the role that the Na⁺/Ca²⁺ exchanger might play in the pathogenesis of salt-sensitive hypertension. Here, he began mentoring high school, undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral and medical fellows, and junior faculty members.

Through the use of diverse, equitable and inclusive approaches, the Biotechnology Program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is excited to welcome students from all over the world to train them in the use of innovative thinking strategies to develop cutting-edge solutions that will promote global well-being. 

From 1997-2007, he directed the Heritage Center Biotech Curriculum for high school students and co-directed BioTek Works, a biotechnology workforce development program funded by Jefferson County and the State of Alabama. The successes of these programs have enabled him to leverage his experience into developing a unique teaching method that encourages learning through the development of innovative solutions to problems.

From 2007-2008, Dr. Unlap was a faculty member at the Tulane Medical School in the Department of Medical Physiology. Later, he moved to UAB to help start the Biotechnology Program. During his tenure at UAB, he assisted in the launching of the Biotechnology MS degree Program, the Biotechnology MS degree Online Program, the Biotechnology Regulatory Affairs Online Certificate, and the PhD Program in Biotechnology which will be launched in the fall of 2023. 

Dr. Unlap’s research areas include Parkinson’s disease, cancer drug discovery, pain management, addiction and PTSD, and diagnostics. 

He is an excellent teacher and a past recipient of the School of Health Professions Excellence in Teaching Award and the UAB President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. He works to promote active learning in the classroom through workshops that he has developed for faculty members over the years. He is a dedicated recruiter for his programs and has established numerous pipelines into his programs with various institutions and organizations, including INTO.

Dr. Unlap is passionate about mentoring and supporting students, championing diversity, equity and inclusion, and promoting advances in biotechnology to help address some of the major challenges the world faces today.