Profile
Dr. Dalia Zakaria is an Associate Professor of Biology at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q). She holds a PhD in Biological Sciences from the University of Exeter, UK, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Immunology at the University of Bristol, UK.
Since joining WCM-Q in 2016, Dr. Zakaria has made significant contributions to curriculum development and teaching quality. She created the Immunology course for second-year premedical students and developed multiple class and laboratory modules for the first-year introductory Biology course, aligning content directly with the medical program's competency framework. Her teaching philosophy is grounded in a student-centred approach, fostering an inclusive and supportive learning environment in which students are encouraged to reach their full potential. Her sustained commitment to teaching excellence has been recognized through numerous WCM-Q Teaching Excellence Awards received throughout her service at WCM-Q.
Dr. Zakaria is an active researcher and research mentor with research interests focusing on immunology, infectious disease, and host-pathogen interactions. Driven by the same student-centered ethos that defines her teaching, she has mentored over 130 WCM-Q students since 2019 in systematic review projects spanning the short- and long-term complications of COVID-19 and vaccine safety, with a broader interest in how immune responses shape disease outcomes and inform therapeutic strategies. This collaborative work has resulted in numerous publications in international peer-reviewed journals. Her research vision extends toward translational immunology, including the application of precision approaches to immune-mediated conditions and the development of targeted immunotherapeutic interventions. Beyond research, Dr. Zakaria contributes actively to the scholarly community by serving as a reviewer for multiple international peer-reviewed journals across the fields of immunology, infectious disease, and public health.
Beyond teaching and research, Dr. Zakaria is actively engaged in the institutional activities of WCM-Q, contributing to various committees and working groups concerned with academic quality and student progression. She supports her students holistically, engaging with their academic, professional, and personal development throughout their time at WCM-Q and beyond.
Selected Publications
- Hommos L, Gohil H, Rob M, Manyama J, Ramy H, Naseem N, Nishan H, Ibrahim RS, Ibrahim SS, Njoku V. C. E., Al-Mutawa I., Khan A. F., Holroyd S., Zakaria D. Long-Term Thyroid Complications Post-COVID-19: A Systematic Review. Microorganisms. 2026; 14(3):543. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms14030543
- Varghese S, Al-Hassani I, Al-Aani U, Rob NJ, Al-Mannai S, Jaguri A, Yousif RA, Al-Mulla A, Palayangal FF, Laws S, Al-Ali D. and Zakaria D. Long-Term Complications of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children and Adults Post-COVID-19: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2025; 26(21):10695. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms262110695
- El-Naas A, Hamad O, Nair S, Alfakhri B, Mahmoud S, Haji A, Ahmed L, Lebbe A, Aboulwafa A, Shaikh F, Bouhali I, Zakaria D. New Onset of Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes Post-COVID-19 Infection: A Systematic Review. Emerging microbes & infections. 2025 May 6:2492211. https://doi.org/10.1080/22221751.2025.2492211
- Mahmoud S, Sarkar A, AlMahmoud L, Alladaboina S, Syed LF, Yaghmour M, Elmoh S, AlShebani M, Aly K, Al-Ansari H, Al-Mohamedi M, Yagan L, Zakaria D. Solid Organ Transplants Caused by COVID-19 Infection and the Outcome of Transplantation Post-COVID-19: A Systematic Review. Biomedicines. 2025 Feb 10;13(2):428. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines13020428
- Arabi M, Al-Najjar Y, Mhaimeed N, Salameh MA, Paul P, AlAnni J, Abdelati AA, Laswi I, Khanjar B, Al-Ali D, Elshafeey A, Mhaimeed O, Burney Z, D'Souza A, Sinha P, Bhatti M, Pillai KV, Homssi M, Bshesh K, Yagan L, Zakaria D. Severity of the Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant compared with the previous lineages: A systematic review. J Cell Mol Med. 2023 Jun;27(11):1443-64. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcmm.17747
- Mohammed I, Nauman A, Paul P, Ganesan S, Chen KH, Jalil SMS, Jaouni SH, Kawas H, Khan WA, Vattoth AL, Al-Hashimi YA, Fares A, Zeghlache R, Zakaria D. The efficacy and effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines in reducing infection, severity, hospitalization, and mortality: a systematic review. Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2022 Dec 31;18(1):2027160. https://doi.org/10.1080/21645515.2022.2027160
- Al‐Ali, D., Elshafeey, A., Mushannen, M., Kawas, H., Shafiq, A., Mhaimeed, N., Mhaimeed, O., Mhaimeed, N., Zeghlache, R., Salameh, M., Paul, P., Homssi, M., Mohammed, I., Narangoli, A., Yagan, L., Khanjar, B., Laws, S. a., Elshazly, M. B., & Zakaria, D. (2022). Cardiovascular and haematological events post COVID-19 vaccination: A systematic review. Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, 26 (3), 636-653. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcmm.1713
- Tomerak, S., Khan, S., Almasri, M., Hussein, R., Abdelati, A., Aly, A., Salameh, M. A., Aldien, A. S., Naveed, H., Elshazly, M. B., & Zakaria, D. (2021). Systemic inflammation in COVID-19 patients may induce various types of venous and arterial thrombosis: A systematic review. Scandinavian Journal of Immunology, 94 (5), Article e13097. https://doi.org/10.1111/sji.13097
- Naveed, H., Elshafeey, A., Al-Ali, D., Janjua, E., Nauman, A., Kawas, H., Kaul, R., Saed Aldien, A., Elshazly, M. B., & Zakaria, D. (2021). The interplay between the immune system, the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), and RAAS inhibitors may modulate the outcome of COVID-19: A systematic review. Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 61 (8), 987-1000. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcph.1852
- Salameh M, Burney Z, Mhaimeed N, Laswi I, Yousri NA, Bendriss G and Zakaria D. The Role of Gut Microbiota in Atopic Asthma and Allergy, Implications in the Understanding of Disease Pathogenesis. Scand J Immunol. 2020, 91 (3), 1-8. 2020;91(3):e12855. doi.org/10.1111/sji.12855
Full List of Publications:
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=Xs0YLXMAAAAJ&hl=en