Pr. Alami, Nael

Vice President

Public Health

Education

M.A. 2015 Policy, Organization, and Leadership Studies, Grad Sch. Educ. Stanford University
Ph.D. 2009 MCDB Program, Molecular Neuroscience. The Ohio State University
M.Sc. 2003 General Biology. American University of Beirut
B.Sc. 2001 General Biology. American University of Beirut

Awards

2025 Access, Diversity & Inclusion Award, Finalist, QS Re-Imagine Education Awards
2025 Nurturing Wellbeing & Purpose Award, Finalist, QS Re-Imagine Education Awards
2024 Excellence in Internationalization, Zairi International Awards for Excellence in HE
2023 Digital/Technological Innovation of the Year MENA, Finalist, Times Higher Education
2009 CGS Ray Travel Award for Scholarships and Service, The Ohio State University
2007 Excellence in academia and leadership, The Phi Beta Delta Honor Society
2006 CGS Ray Travel Award for Scholarships and Service, The Ohio State University
2003 Graduate Research Fellowship, Full Scholarship, The Ohio State University
2001 Graduate Research Fellowship, Full Scholarship, American University of Beirut

Short Bio

Dr. Alami started his career as a developmental neurobiologist at St JudeChildren’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, USA, and is a trainedmolecular neuroscientist who received his doctoral degree from theMolecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Program where he studiedslow axonal transport within the Department of Neuroscience at The OhioState University. While at St Jude, Dr. Alami was also a visiting scientist atHarvard University and Columbia University, where he developed noveltechnologies to identify human motor neurons and live neuronal imagingapproaches that contribute to the search of a cure to neurodegenerativediseases like ALS and FTLD. After his work at St Jude, Dr. Alami completeda third graduate degree in Policy, Organization, and Leadership Studies fromStanford University in Palo Alto, where he became interested in the use ofeducation technology and innovative new practices to increase educationalaccess, and its use in promoting global health and cultural understanding.He launched the Student Virtual Exchange Program while at Stanford inpartnership with Stanford educators, allowing students in Lebanon andAmerican Universities to explore and challenge cultural perceptions andstereotypes that skewed their judgment about each other, in a safe,structured, academic environment. He was also a Visiting Professor at SanJose State University in California, teaching at the Connie L Lurie College ofEducation. Dr. Alami is a published author whose work has been cited over588 times, with research interests in Neuroscience, Global Health, andEducation Technology.

Publications

Nasr, R., Swaidan, E., Hachem, S., Rizk, M., Rahman, A.A. & Alami, N.H. (2025). Immunization safety monitoring: Addressing vaccine hesitancy and advancing coverage in crisis-affected regions – insights from Lebanon, Ukraine, and Sudan. Therapeutic Advances in Vaccines and Immunotherapy 13. https://doi:10.1177/25151355251380220
Nasr, R., Rahman, A.A., Haddad, C., Nasr, N., Karam, J., Hayek, J., Ismael, I., Swaidan, E., Salameh, P. & Alami, N. (2024). The impact of financial stress on student wellbeing in Lebanese higher education. BMC Public Health 24, 1809. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-19312-0
Alami, N.H. and Attieh, L.K. (2023). Quality in Online Education in Lebanon during the Pandemic: Challenges, Opportunities, and Lessons Learned. In Quality Assurance in Higher Education in the Middle East: Practices and Perspectives (Innovations in Higher Education Teaching and Learning, Vol. 54, edited by Saeed, S.T. and Sherwani, K.H., Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 101-114. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2055-364120230000054006
Issa, G. M., Abbas, M. E., L. C., Boutros, G. J., Al Khatib, A. S., Matarneh, S. L., AlFayez, D. M., Alami, N. H. & Lakkis, N. A. (2023). Parenting support for refugee and vulnerable communities in Lebanon and Jordan during COVID-19 and a humanitarian crisis. Young Children in Humanitarian and COVID-19 Crises, 82. DOI: 10.4324/9781003415213-6
Nazifi, M., Alami, N. H. & Sorkhabi, N. (2023). Fathers’ Parenting Styles and Academic Achievement of Emerging Adults in Lebanon: Mediating roles of psychological control, self-esteem, and self-construal. Children and Youth Services Review, vol 155, DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2023.107218.
Dawson, H., Alami, N. H., Bowen, K. & Maddah, D. (2023). Virtual Reality and Virtual Exchange, Connecting UK and Lebanese Students to Investigate Public Health Issues in Syrian Refugee Camps. In High Impact Practices in Higher Education: International Perspectives, edited by Enakshi Sengupta. Chapter 2. Bingley, UK: Emerald Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2055-364120230000051002
Maddah, D., Hallit S., Kabbara W., Akel M., Bowen K., Hasan Z., Kabakian Khasholian T., Alami, N. H. & Salameh P. (2023) Validation of the first Arabic version of the life skills scale among university students. Cogent Education, 10:1, DOI: 10.1080/2331186X.2022.2162692
Abou-Arraj, N.E., Maddah, D., Buhamdan, V., Abbas, R., Jawad, N. K., Karaki, F., Alami, N. H., Geldsetzer, P. (2022). Perceptions of, and obstacles to, SARS-CoV-2 vaccination among adults in Lebanon: Cross-sectional online survey. JMIR Form Res, 6(12): e36827. DOI: 10.2196/36827.
Vrij, A., Leal, S., Deeb, H., Campos, C.C., Fisher, R., Mann, S., Jo, E. & Alami, N. H. (2022). The effect of using countermeasures in interpreter-absent and interpreter-present interviews. The European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context, 14(2), 53 - 72 DOI: 10.5093/ejpalc2022a6.
Alami, N. H., Albuquerque, J., Ashton L. S., Elwood, J. A., Ewoodzie, K., Hauck, M., Karam, J., Klimanova, L., Nasr, R. & Satar, M. (2022). Marginalization and Underrepresentation in Virtual Exchange: Reasons and remedies. Journal of International Students, 12(S3):57-76. DOI: 10.32674/jis.v12iS3.4665.
Karam, J., Abou Ibrahim, S., Mahmoud, L., Zeidan, N., Salameh, P., Alami, N. H. (2022). Factors contributing to the improvement of university students’ academic performance and knowledge retention in an online learning environment. International Journal of Education and Research. 10(9): 93-106.
Kowal, M., Sorokowski, P., Pisanski, K., Valentova, J., Varella, M., Frederick, D., Al-Shawaf, L., Garcia, F., Giammusso, I., Gjoneska, B., Kozma, L., Otterbring, T., Papadatou-Pastou, M., Pfuhl, G., Alami, N. H., … Senyk, O. (2022). Predictors of enhancing human physical attractiveness: Data from 93 countries. Evolution and Human Behavior, DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2022.08.003
Blackburn, A., Vestergren, S., Tran, T., Stockli, S., Griffin, S., Ntontis, E., Jeftic, A., Stavroula, C., Ikizer, G., Han, H., Milfont, T., Douglas, P., Byrne, G., Gomez-Lopez, Acosta, A., Kowal, M., De Leon, G., Galleros, A., Alami, N. H., … Yeh, Y. (2022). COVIDiSTRESS Diverse Dataset on Psychological and Behavioral Outcomes One Year into the COVID-19 Pandemic. Scientific Data, 9:331. DOI: 10.1038/s41597-022-01383-6
Bowen, K., Maddah, D., Jowell, A., Barry, M., Goldman, S. & Alami, N. H. (2021). Virtual student exchange in global health: An innovative educational approach to foster socially responsible overseas collaboration. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education. 18, 32. DOI: 10.1186/s41239-021-00266-x
Maddah, D., Saab, Y., Safadi, H., Abi Farraj, N., Hassan, Z., Turner, S., Echeverri, L., Alami, N. H., Kababian-Khasholian, T., Salameh, P. (2021). The first life skills intervention to enhance well-being among university students in the Arab World: “Khotwa” pilot study. Health Psychology Open, DOI: 10.1177/20551029211016955
Alami, N. H., Maddah, D., Rafeh, L., Fadel, M., Abi Ghannam, H., Karam, J., Fakhreddine, N. (2021). Addressing high dropout rates and barriers to tertiary education of students from vulnerable communities in Lebanon. Education and Youth Policy Research Program, Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, American University of Beirut.
Maddah, D., Ghach, W., Abi Farraj, N., Yehya, M., Al Khatib, J., Alami, N. H. (2019). The first community-based intervention to promote safe pesticide use by developing knowledge, attitudes, and practices among Lebanese farmers. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal, DOI: 10.1080/10807039.2019.1688639
Dawson, H., Alami, N., Bowen, K. & Maddah, D. (2019). The use of virtual reality for public health education with reference to Syrian refugee camps. Proceedings of the Virtual and Augmented Reality to Enhance Learning and Teaching in Higher Education Conference 2018, pp.73-81
Alami, N. H., Smith, R. B., Carrasco, M., Williams, L. A., Winborn, C. S., Han, S. S. W., Kiskinis, E., Winborn, B., Freibaum, B. D., Kanagaraj, A., Clare A. J., Badders, N., Bilican, B., Chaum, E., Chadran, S., Shaw, C. E., Eggan, K.C., Maniatis, T. and Taylor, J. P. (2014). Axonal transport of TDP-43 mRNA granules is impaired by ALS-causing mutations. Neuron, 81: 536-543. (Paper highlighted in Neuron and 9 news outlets)
Kim, N. C., Tresse, E., Kolaitis, R., Molliex, A., Thomas, R. E., Alami, N. H., Wang, B., Joshi, A., Smith, R. B., Ritson, G. P., Winborn, B. J., Moore, J., Lee, J-Y, Yao, T-P, Pallanck, L., Kundu, M. & Taylor, J. P. (2013). VCP is essential for mitochondrial quality control by the PINK1/Parkin pathway in vitro and in vivo-- a function impaired by pathogenic VCP mutations. Neuron, 78: 1-16. (Paper highlighted in Nature Reviews Neurology, 9, 239)
Alami, N. H. (2009). The Role of Myosin Va and the Dynein/Dynactin Complex in Neurofilament Axonal Transport. Ph.D. dissertation. The Ohio State University.
Uchida, A., Alami, N. H., and Brown, A. (2009). Tight functional coupling of kinesin-1A and dynein motors in the bidirectional transport of neurofilaments. Molecular Biology of the Cell, 23: 4997-5006. (Paper highlighted in “InCytes from MBC”)
Alami, N. H., Jung, P. and Brown, A. (2009). Myosin Va increases the efficiency of neurofilament transport by decreasing the duration of long-term pauses. Journal of Neuroscience, 29: 6625-6634.
Alami, N. H. (2003). The Effect of Thymic Serum Factor on the Inflammatory Response of Dorsal Root Ganglia in Culture. M.Sc. Thesis. American University of Beirut.