Ali H. Mokdad, Ph.D.

Ali H. Mokdad, Ph.D.
Director, Middle Eastern Initiatives & Professor, Global Health Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington

Ali Mokdad, Ph.D., is the Director of Middle Eastern Initiatives and a Professor of Global Health at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) founded in 2007 at the University of Washington. In this role, he is building IHME's presence in the Middle East through new research projects, dissemination and uptake of IHME's methods and results, and consultation with regional leaders in population health.

Professor Mokdad is the also principal investigator for the monitoring and evaluation of the Salud Mesoamerica Initiative where he provides independent evaluation for the public-private partnership between the Mesoamerican countries, private foundations, and bilateral donors. This partnership seeks to reduce inequities in the coverage of basic health services among the poorest populations in Mesoamerica.

Prior to joining IHME, Prof. Mokdad began his career in 1990 at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), serving in numerous positions with the International Health Program; the Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity; the National Immunization Program; and the National Center for Chronic Diseases Prevention and Health Promotion, where he was Chief of the Behavioral Surveillance Branch.

Prof. Mokdad has published more than 450 articles and numerous reports. He has received several awards, including the Global Health Achievement Award for his work in Banda Aceh after the tsunami, the Department of Health and Human Services Honor Award for his work on flu monitoring, and the Shepard Award for outstanding scientific contribution to public health for his work on BRFSS. He received his B.S. in Biostatistics from the American University of Beirut and his Ph.D. in Quantitative Epidemiology from Emory University.