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Yara Asi, Ph.D.

yara.asi@ucf.edu


Post-Doctoral Scholar

University of Central Florida

Year of PhD: 2015

Country: United States (Florida)

About Me:

Yara M. Asi, PhD, is a Post-Doctoral Scholar at the University of Central Florida, where she has taught in the Department of Health Management and Informatics for more than 6 years. She is a 2020-2021 Fulbright US Scholar to the West Bank. Her research agenda focuses on global health and development in fragile and conflict-affected populations. Along with working at one of the first accountable care organizations in the United States, she has also worked with Amnesty International USA, the Palestinian American Research Center, and the Al-Shabaka Policy Network on policy and outreach issues. She has presented at multiple national and international conferences on topics related to global health, food security, health informatics, and women in healthcare, and has published extensively on health and well-being in fragile and conflict-affected populations in journal articles, book chapters, and other outlets. Dr. Asi has a book forthcoming with Johns Hopkins University Press about the threats war and conflict pose to public health and human security.

Research Interests

Health Politics and Policy

Conflict Processes & War

Political Violence

Foreign Aid

Human Rights

Gender and Politics

Information Technology

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Post-Conflict Transition

Global Health

Sustainable Development Goals

Fragile States

Armed Conflict

Peace And Conflict

Global Health Governance

Human Development

Human Rights

Women And Conflict

Gender And War

Violence And Gender

War Crimes

Refugee Health

Health Systems

Health Policy

Food Security

Countries of Interest

Palestinian Territories

Jordan

Syria

Yemen

Israel

Lebanon

Iraq

Egypt

Libya

Iran

My Research:

Yara M. Asi, PhD, is a Post-Doctoral Scholar at the University of Central Florida, where she has taught in the Department of Health Management and Informatics for more than 6 years. She is a 2020-2021 Fulbright US Scholar to the West Bank. Her research agenda focuses on global health and development in fragile and conflict-affected populations. Along with working at one of the first accountable care organizations in the United States, she has also worked with Amnesty International USA, the Arab Center Washington DC, and the Al-Shabaka Policy Network on policy and outreach issues. Her work has been featured in The Washington Post, The Conversation, Al Jazeera, and +972 Magazine. She has presented at multiple national and international conferences on topics related to global health, food security, health informatics, and women in healthcare, and has published extensively on health and well-being in fragile and conflict-affected populations in journal articles, book chapters, and other outlets. Dr. Asi has a book forthcoming with Johns Hopkins University Press about the threats war and conflict pose to public health and human security.

Publications:

Journal Articles:

(2018) The role of digital health in making progress toward Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 in conflict-affected populations, International Journal of Medical Informatics

Purpose The progress of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) shows that sustained global action can achieve success. Despite the unprecedented achievements in health and education, more than one billion people, many of them in conflict-affected areas, were unable to reap the benefits of the MDG gains. The recently developed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are even more ambitious then their predecessor. SDG 3 prioritizes health and well-being for all ages in specific areas such as maternal mortality, communicable diseases, mental health, and healthcare workforce. However, without a shift in the approach used for conflict-affected areas, the world’s most vulnerable people risk being left behind in global development yet again. We must engage in meaningful discussions about employing innovative strategies to address health challenges fragile, low-resource, and often remote settings. In this paper, we will argue that to meet the ambitious health goals of SDG 3, digital health can help to bridge healthcare gaps in conflict-affected areas. Methods First, we describe the health needs of populations in conflict-affected environments, and how they overlap with the SDG 3 targets. Secondly, we discuss how digital health can address the unique needs of conflict-affected areas. Finally, we evaluate the various challenges in deploying digital technologies in fragile environments, and discuss potential policy solutions. Discussion Persons in conflict-affected areas may benefit from the diffusive nature of digital health tools. Innovations using cellular technology or cloud-based solutions overcome physical barriers. Additionally, many of the targets of SDG 3 could see significant progress if efficacious education and outreach efforts were supported, and digital health in the form of mHealth and telehealth offers a relatively low-resource platform for these initiatives. Lastly, lack of data collection, especially in conflict-affected or otherwise fragile states, was one of the primary limitations of the MDGs. Greater investment in data collection efforts, supported by digital health technologies, is necessary if SDG 3 targets are to be measured and progress assessed. Standardized EMR systems as well as context-specific data warehousing efforts will assist in collecting and managing accurate data. Stakeholders such as patients, providers, and NGOs, must be proactive and collaborative in their efforts for continuous progress toward SDG 3. Digital health can assist in these inter-organizational communication efforts. Conclusion The SDGS are complex, ambitious, and comprehensive; even in the most stable environments, achieving full completion towards every goal will be difficult, and in conflict-affected environments, this challenge is much greater. By engaging in a collaborative framework and using the appropriate digital health tools, we can support humanitarian efforts to realize sustained progress in SDG 3 outcomes.

(2018) Conflict and well-being: a comparative study of health-related quality of life, stress, and insecurity of university students in the West Bank and Jordan, Quality of Life Research

Purpose A significant body of research indicates that the conflict environment is detrimental to the quality of life and well-being of civilians. This study assesses the health-related quality of life, stress, and insecurity of the West Bank, which has been engaged in conflict for seven decades, in comparison to a demographically and culturally similar population in Jordan, a neighboring nation with no conflict. We expect the Jordanian sample to report better functioning. Methods We collected 793 surveys from university students (mean age = 20.2) in Nablus, West Bank (398 [50.2%]) and Irbid, Jordan (395 [49.8%]). The survey instrument consisted of the SF-36 to measure HRQoL, the PSS-4 to measure stress, and an insecurity scale, along with demographic characteristics. Results Our findings indicate that outcomes in the West Bank were not significantly worse than in Jordan, and in some cases represented better functioning, especially in the SF-36 measures. Conclusions Our counterintuitive results suggest that health and well-being outcomes are dependent on many factors in addition to conflict. For one, it may be that the better perceived health and well-being of the Palestinians is because they have developed a culture of resilience. Additionally, Jordanians are undergoing a period of instability due to internal struggles and surrounding conflicts.

Media Appearances:

Newspaper Quotes:

(2018) Newsweek

Title: How Hajj Pilgrimage to Mecca Could Help Prevent Next Global Health Pandemic