Biography

Biography

Yara M. Asi, PhD, is an assistant professor at the School of Global Health Management and Informatics at the University of Central Florida. She is a visiting scholar at the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University, a Senior Fellow in the Raphaël Lemkin Genocide Prevention Program at George Mason University, a Non-Resident Fellow at the Arab Center Washington, DC, a Non-Resident Fellow at DAWN MENA, and a 2020–2021 U.S. Fulbright Scholar to the West Bank. Her research agenda focuses on health, human rights, and development in conflict-affected and fragile settings. Her work has been published in peer-reviewed journals including The Lancet, Conflict and Health, and BMJ Global Health, along with media outlets like The New York Times, The Guardian, and The Nation. Her first book, How War Kills: The Overlooked Threats to Our Health, was published by Johns Hopkins University Press in January 2024.

Areas of Expertise
  • Global health
  • Health in fragile and conflict-affected populations
  • Social and political determinants of health
Education

University of Central Florida

  • Degree: PhD, Public Affairs, Health Services Management and Research Track
  • Degree: MA, Applied Exercise Physiology

Florida State University

  • Degree: BS, Exercise Physiology, minor in Chemistry

Research

Research Interests
  • Global health policy
  • Health in fragile and conflict-affected populations
  • Gender inequities in global health
  • Structural violence and health
  • Health effects of climate change
Current Funded Projects

The Legacy of Racial Violence, Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), funded by the Research Council of Norway (Dec 2021-Dec 2025)

Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program (West Bank) 2020-2021, Moving Beyond Movement Restrictions to Provide Adequate Health Care in the West Bank (deferred to fall 2022 due to COVID-19)

Awards

  • Victor Sidel and Barry Levy Award for Peace, American Public Health Association, 2024
  • Middle East Policy Council, 40 Under 40, 2021

Courses

Graduate

  • Health Care Statistics and Research (Lead Instructor)

Undergraduate

  • Health Services Administration Cornerstone (Lead Instructor)
  • Health Sciences Research Methods (Lead Instructor)
  • U.S. Health Care Systems
  • Civic Engagement in US Health
  • Medical Terminology

News