Biography

Dr. Wissam Ghach holds a B.Sc. degree in Biochemistry from the Lebanese University; an M.Sc. in Catalysis, Molecules, and Green Chemistry from the University of Rennes I, France; and a Ph.D. in Chemistry (Interdisciplinary of Electrochemistry, Material Science, and Microbiology) from the University of Lorraine, France. 

During his academic journey, Wissam has gained a fruitful teaching and administrative experience as faculty member for 7+ years, discipline coordinator and module leader for 3 years, head of research committees (Research Committee and Institutional Review Board) and head of research department 1 year. 

In his research interests, Wissam has focused on the multidisciplinary projects for the fundamental development of material-based systems for bio-electrocatalysis, and the quantitative-based approach for the development of Community-Based-Participatory Research projects under the themes of public health, Environmental health, and Chemical Awareness/Safety in collaboration with local, and international researchers.
 

Areas of Specialization

Sol-gel Bioencapsulation, Bioelectrochemical systems, Bioelectrocatalysis, Dry Eye Disease Epidemiology and Risk factors, Chemical Awareness and Safety

Selected publications

• Alwan, N., Safwan, J., Kerek, R. Ghach, W.* (2024). Hand hygiene during the spread of COVID-19: a cross-sectional study of awareness and practices among academic institutions in Lebanon. Front. Public Health, 11: 1256433. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1256433
• Ghach, W.*, Abou Ibrahim, S., Merhi, A., Buhamdan, V., Bou Ghannam, N., Salhab, R. (2023). Community Awareness and Performance regarding the Safe Use of Disinfectants and Household Cleaners during the Spread of COVID-19 in Lebanon. Universal Journal of Public Health, 11(6), 877-887. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujph.2023.110612
• Abou Ibrahim, S., Naji, R. Zeineldeen, H., and Ghach, W. (2023). Effectiveness of pesticide labels (pictograms and color codes): a cross-sectional study of farmers’ understanding and practices in Lebanon, Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal, DOI: 10.1080/10807039.2023.2266036
• Ghach, W., Safwan, J., Kerek, R. et al. (2023). Evaluation of awareness and performance towards COVID-related disinfectant use among the university communities in Lebanon. BMC Public Health, 23, 1582. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-16515-9
• Alkhaldi, M., Moonesar, I.A., Issa, S.T., Ghach, W., Okasha, A., Albada, M., Chelli, S. and Takshe, A.A. (2023), "Analysis of the United Arab Emirates' contribution to the sustainable development goals with a focus on global health and climate change", International Journal of Health Governance, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHG-04-2023-0040
• Alwan N, Almazrouei S, Almazrouei M, Aldhaheri J, Alismaili F and Ghach, W (2023). Evaluation of public awareness and performance toward the safe use of household disinfectants-cleaners to prevent COVID-19 in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Frontiers in Public Health 11:1214240.
• Aridi, M., Ahmad, M., Ghach, W., Charifeh, S., Alwan, N. (2023). Development and Validation of the Soft Skills Questionnaire for Nurses. SAGE Open Nursing, 9. doi:10.1177/23779608231159620
• Ghach, W., Bakkar, M. M., Aridi, M., Beshtawi, I., Doughaily, R., & Al-Fayoumi, N. (2022). Prevalence and behavioral-based risk factors (eye cosmetic and tobacco use) of symptomatic dry eye disease in four middle eastern countries: Lebanon, syria, jordan, and palestine. Clinical Ophthalmology, 16, 3851-3860. doi:10.2147/OPTH.S385040
• Karam, J., Ghach, W., Bouteen, C., Makary, M. J., Riman, M., & Serhan, M. (2022). Adherence to Mediterranean diet among adults during the COVID-19 outbreak and the economic crisis in Lebanon. Nutrition & Food Science.
• Karam, J., Ghash, W., Bouteen, C., Makary, M. J., Riman, M., & Serhan, M. (2021, October). Adherence to Mediterranean Diet among Adults in Lebanon. In Presented at the 2nd International Electronic Conference on Foods (Vol. 15, p. 30).
• Silveira, C. M., Rodrigues, P. R., Ghach, W., Pereira, S. A., Esteves, F., Kranendonk, M., ... & Almeida, M. G. (2021). Electrochemical activity of cytochrome P450 1A2: the relevance of O2 control and the natural electron donor. ChemElectroChem, 8(3), 500-507.
• Maddah, D., Ghach, W., Abi Farraj, N., Yehya, M., Al Khatib, J., & Alami, N. H. (2020). 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, 26(10), 2824-2835.
• Sherry, A., Aridi, M., & Ghach, W. (2020). Prevalence and risk factors of symptomatic dry eye disease in Lebanon. Contact Lens and Anterior Eye, 43(4), 355-358.

Projects

• Disinfectants use & hand hygiene during the spread of COVID-19: A comparison study of Public Awareness and performance among Lebanon, Jordan and UAE.
• Evaluation of public knowledge and practices towards the safe use of household disinfectants-cleaners to prevent COVID-19 in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
• Disinfectants and household cleaning products: community awareness and practices against COVID-19 in Lebanon.
• Prevalence and behavioural-based risk factors of symptomatic Dry Eye Disease in four Middle Eastern countries: Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Palestine.
• A correlation study of symptomatic Dry Eye Disease, Vitamin D deficiency, and Dyslipidaemia in Lebanon.
• Prevalence and Risk factors of Chemical Intolerance in Lebanon.
• Immobilization of Self-assembled S. Oneidensis MR-1 for Cr (VI) Reduction and Cr (III) Adsorption.
• Effectiveness of pesticide labels and pictorial messages among these farmers.