Profiles

Salma Mohamed Hassan Abdalla, MBBS, MPH, DrPH

Assistant Professor, Global Health - Boston University School of Public Health

(617) 358-3407
abdallas@bu.edu
Crosstown
View Full Profile at BUMC

Biography

Salma Abdalla, a Sudanese medical doctor, is an Assistant Professor in Global Health and Epidemiology at Boston University School of Public Health. She was the Director of the Rockefeller-Boston University 3-D Commission on Determinants of health, Data science, and Decision making. She also served as a secretariat member for the WHO Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her research focuses on understanding how microsocial forces shape the health of the population. In particular, she studies how data on the social, economic, and commercial determinants can be used to inform decision-making on health and health equity in different contexts. She also studies the effects of trauma on global population mental health. She has published over 50 scientific journal articles, co-authored 8 reports and policy briefs, and co-authored 9 book chapters.
Dr Abdalla was also engaged in advocacy efforts to incorporate the voices of young people in setting the global public health agenda for a number of years. She was elected the Secretary General of the International Federation of Medical Students Associations for the term 2013-2014. She was also named an emerging voice in global health in 2018 and a Moremi fellow for young women leadership in Africa in 2012.

Other Positions

  • Assistant Professor, Epidemiology - Boston University School of Public Health

Education

  • Boston University School of Public Health, DPH/DrPH
  • University of Khartoum, MBBS
  • Boston University School of Public Health, MPH

Websites

Classes Taught

  • SPHPH720

Publications

  • Published on 8/9/2024

    Ettman CK, Abdalla SM, Wang R, Rosenberg SB, Galea S. Generalized anxiety disorder in low-resourced adults: a nationally representative, longitudinal cohort study across the COVID-19 pandemic. Am J Epidemiol. 2024 Aug 09. PMID: 39123097.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 7/1/2024

    Moreland AD, Rancher C, Davies F, Bottomley J, Galea S, Abba-Aji M, Abdalla SM, Schmidt MG, Vena JE, Kilpatrick DG. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Among Adults in Communities With Mass Violence Incidents. JAMA Netw Open. 2024 Jul 01; 7(7):e2423539. PMID: 39058488.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 6/19/2024

    Even D, Abdalla SM, Maani N, Galea S. News media as a commercial determinant of health. Lancet Glob Health. 2024 Aug; 12(8):e1365-e1369. PMID: 38908393.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 6/14/2024

    Ettman CK, Cohen GH, Abdalla SM, Hatton CR, Castrucci BC, Bork RH, Galea S. Depression and assets during the COVID-19 pandemic: A longitudinal study of mental health across income and savings groups. PLoS One. 2024; 19(6):e0304549. PMID: 38875280.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 6/12/2024

    Abdalla SM, Galea S. Key considerations for the future of mental health epidemiology. Am J Epidemiol. 2024 Jun 12. PMID: 38872352.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 6/6/2024

    Abdalla SM, Assefa E, Rosenberg SB, Hernandez M, Koya SF, Galea S. Perceptions of the determinants of health across income and urbanicity levels in eight countries. Commun Med (Lond). 2024 Jun 06; 4(1):107. PMID: 38844576.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 5/27/2024

    Hatton CR, Ettman CK, Gollust S, Abdalla SM, Galea S. Mental Health and U.S. Attitudes Toward Social Determinants of Health Policies. Am J Prev Med. 2024 May 27. PMID: 38810769.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 5/3/2024

    Kennedy-Hendricks A, Ettman CK, Gollust SE, Bandara SN, Abdalla SM, Castrucci BC, Galea S. Experience of Personal Loss Due to Drug Overdose Among US Adults. JAMA Health Forum. 2024 May 03; 5(5):e241262. PMID: 38819798.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 3/4/2024

    Abba-Aji M, Moreland A, Abdalla SM, Rancher C, Galea S, Davies F, Kilpatrick DG. Prevalence and Risk Factors of Depression and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder After a Mass Shooting. JAMA Netw Open. 2024 Mar 04; 7(3):e242739. PMID: 38502130.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 11/3/2023

    Galea S, Abdalla SM. Data to Improve Global Health Equity-Key Challenges. JAMA Health Forum. 2023 Nov 03; 4(11):e234433. PMID: 37917051.

     Read At: PubMed

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