Group Members

Curriculum Vitae

Dr. Abu-Raddad is a Professor of Population Health Sciences and Director of the Biostatistics and Biomathematics Research Core at WCM-Q. He focuses on studying the epidemiological factors and population processes shaping infectious disease spread in human and animal populations. He joined WCM-Q in 2008 while serving as an Assistant Professor at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, USA. He held positions as Research Scientist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the University of Washington; as Postdoctoral Research Associate at Imperial College London, United Kingdom and as NSF-JSPS Postdoctoral Research Associate at Osaka University, Japan. He completed his Ph.D. study in Computational and Mathematical Physics at Florida State University. He serves as a consultant or advisory member for a number of key public health projects for organizations such as the World Bank, Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS and World Health Organization.

Dr. Abu-Raddad's research interests are multidisciplinary with emphasis on studying the epidemiology and ecology of infectious diseases using analytical and computational approaches in addition to conventional epidemiologic study designs. He was the lead author or co-investigator of several high impact studies in recent years such as in relation to HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, hepatitis C virus and SARS. His current main research interests include studying the spread of sexually transmitted infections such as HIV/AIDS, HSV-2 and HPV; investigating the role of biological cofactors in HIV epidemiology; assessment of the impact of different HIV interventions such as vaccines and male circumcision; studying the epidemiology of HIV/AIDS in the Arab and Muslim Worlds; studying tuberculosis epidemiology and assessing the impact of novel TB diagnostics, drug regimens and vaccines; studying the epidemiology of hepatitis C virus in the Middle East and North Africa; simulation of community randomized controlled trials and studying the ecology of multiple-strain infectious diseases.

Curriculum Vitae

Hiam Chemaitelly is an Assistant Professor of Research in Population Health Sciences at the Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q). Her research has been focused on promoting an in-depth understanding of the epidemiology of infectious diseases using epidemiological research methods, advanced statistical techniques, and mathematical modeling, with a primary focus on COVID-19, viral hepatitis, HIV, and sexually transmitted infections. Her research work has been key in informing infectious disease epidemiology and policy programming and resource allocation in the Middle East and North Africa and internationally. Her research work has concentrated recently on building an in-depth understanding of COVID-19 epidemiology and informing the Qatar National COVID-19 Response.

Dr. Chemaitelly is an accomplished scientist with a distinguished publication record including close to 100 publications, several of which appeared in leading high impact journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, Nature Medicine, Nature Communications, Lancet Global Health, Lancet HIV, PLOS Medicine, Clinical Infectious Diseases, BMC Medicine, and Emerging infectious Diseases. Her research work has been covered widely in international press and media such as at the New York Times, Washington Post, and CNN. She is a reviewer for different prominent scientific journals and a member of the World Health Organization Strategic Information and Analysis Advisory Group.

Dr. Chemaitelly holds a Ph.D. in Epidemiology and Population Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in the UK.

Curriculum Vitae 

Adona Canlas holds the position of Research Group Administrator at IDEG at the Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar. She provides administrative support to the group’s research activities for several research projects. She is also involved in the maintenance of procedures as they relate to grants, contracts, and other administrative tasks.

Prior to joining IDEG, Adona worked as an Executive Secretary and Document Controller at SPK Construction in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. She also held the position of Mathematics Instructor at the University of the Philippines and Roosevelt Science High School in Rizal, Philippines. Adona earned her B.Sc. degree in Mathematics from the University of the Philippines in Quezon City, Philippines.

Curriculum Vitae 

Manale Harfouche is an Epidemiologist currently holding the position of Research Specialist at IDEG at the Weill Cornell Medicine - Qatar (WCM-Q). She is involved in characterizing the epidemiology of different infectious diseases. Manale’s current research focuses on systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and meta-regressions, as well as other data syntheses, for sexually transmitted infections and viral hepatitis.

Prior to joining WCM-Q, Manale was affiliated with the American University of Beirut Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (AUB GRADE) center in Lebanon. Her earlier research activities focused on the adaptation of the 2015 American College of Rheumatology guidelines for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis to the Middle East and North Africa region. Manale earned her MPH degree specializing in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from the American University of Beirut in Lebanon.

Curriculum Vitae

Rwedah Ageeb is an epidemiologist and currently holds the position of research specialist at the Infectious Disease Epidemiology Group (IDEG) at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar. She conducts research to characterize the epidemiology of various infectious diseases using methods such as systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and meta-regressions. Her expertise also extends to other statistical and epidemiological methodologies.

Rwedah holds a Master of Public Health (MPH) with a concentration in epidemiology from Qatar University, where she graduated with distinction. Her master’s research focused on the association between prior antibiotic exposure and resistance to urinary tract infections, reflecting her ongoing interest in this field. She also holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Qatar University’s pharmacy program.

Cuccirulum Vitae

Layan Sukik is a research specialist at the Infectious Disease Epidemiology Group (IDEG) at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar. She conducts epidemiological research using various study designs, with a primary focus on infectious diseases such as SARS-CoV-2. Her work involves designing and implementing epidemiologic studies and performing statistical analyses.

Before joining WCM-Q, Layan contributed to research projects in public health, nutritional epidemiology, and dietary patterns related to non-communicable diseases. Her work has been published in esteemed international journals. She holds a Master of Public Health (MPH) with a concentration in epidemiology from Qatar University, where she graduated with high distinction and was awarded the GSRA competitive grant by QNRF for academic and research excellence. She also earned her bachelor's degree in human nutrition from the same university, receiving the Order of Excellence Award and the Outstanding Performance Scholarship.

Curriculum Vitae

Zahir Tag is a Research Specialist in the Infectious Disease Epidemiology Group (IDEG) at Weill Cornell Medicine–Qatar (WCM-Q), where he applies advanced statistical and epidemiological methods to investigate pressing public health challenges. With a strong foundation in statistical modeling, Zahir’s research bridges quantitative analysis and real-world health outcomes, with a growing portfolio focused on infectious disease burdens, health disparities, and population-level risk factors.

Prior to joining WCM-Q, Zahir worked as a Health Data Analyst Intern at Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Paris, where he developed predictive models for inpatient mortality and hospital length of stay using administrative data from over 100,000 hospital admissions. He also served as a Research Intern at the Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), where he developed a feeder-free culture system for stem cells, optimized differentiation protocols into pancreatic progenitors, and designed cell-sorting strategies to enrich specific cell populations.

Zahir holds a Master of Science (MSc) in Public Health with a specialization in Statistical Modeling and Health Data Science from the Faculty of Medicine at Sorbonne University in Paris, France. He also earned a Bachelor of Life Sciences from the same institution.

Curriculum Vitae

Nour Chahrour is a Mathematical Modeler working as a Postdoctoral Associate with the Infectious Diseases Epidemiology Group (IDEG) at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar. Her current research focuses on the development and application of mathematical models to better understand the dynamics of infectious diseases.

Prior to joining IDEG, Dr. Nour was a postdoctoral researcher at Université Grenoble Alpes, where she conducted multidisciplinary research involving degradation modeling, maintenance optimization, and risk analysis with applications in construction management.

She holds a Ph.D. in Automation and Systems Engineering from Université Grenoble Alpes, a Master’s degree in Hydraulics and Civil Engineering from Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP - ENSE3), and a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the Lebanese University.

Curriculum Vitae

Dr. Hina Akram is a medical doctor and epidemiologist currently working as a Research Specialist at Weill Cornell Medicine – Qatar, within the Infectious Disease Epidemiology Group (IDEG). Her work focuses on the epidemiology of sexually transmitted infections, utilizing rigorous methodologies such as systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and meta-regressions to inform clinical practice and public health policy.

Dr. Akram holds a Master of Public Health (MPH) with a concentration in epidemiology from Qatar University, Qatar, and a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) from King Edward Medical University, Pakistan. Her diverse clinical experience combines strong clinical insight with robust epidemiological research skills. In addition to her research, Dr. Akram has a strong passion for education. She has engaged in teaching research methods and biostatistics to health sciences students, designed and led multiple CPD-accredited research workshops for healthcare professionals, developed tailored curricula, and guided early-career researchers. Her work continues to bridge clinical expertise and epidemiological research to drive meaningful contributions in both fields.