Biography

Google Scholar

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

Academic Publications

  • Ghach, W., Abou Ibrahim, S., Aridi, M., Safwan, J., Issa, S. T., & Issa, M. T. (2025). Prevalence of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity in Lebanon: A Cross-Sectional Study among the General Population Post Beirut Port Blast. ACS Chemical Health and Safety. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chas.4c00143
    DOI | Repository record
  • Abou Ibrahim, S., Naji, R., Zeineldeen, H., & 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, 29(9-10), 1336-1351. https://doi.org/10.1080/10807039.2023.2266036
    DOI | Repository record
  • 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. https://doi.org/10.1177/23779608231159620
    DOI | Repository record
  • Ghach, W., Almazrouei, S., Almazrouei, M., Aldhaheri, J., Alismaili, F., & Alwan, N. (2023). Evaluation of Public Awareness and Performance towards the Safe Use of Household Disinfectants-Cleaners to Prevent COVID-19 in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Frontiers in Public Health, 11, 1214240. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1214240
    DOI | Repository record
  • Ghach, W., Safwan, J., Kerek, R., & Alwan, N. (2023). Evaluation of awareness and performance towards COVID-related disinfectant use among the university communities in Lebanon. BMC Public Health, 23, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-16515-9
    DOI | Repository record
  • Alwan, N., Safwan, J., Kerek, R., & Ghach, W. (2023). Hand hygiene during the spread of COVID-19: a cross-sectional study of awareness and practices among academic institutions in Lebanon. Frontiers in Public Health, 11, 1256433. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1256433
    DOI | Repository record
  • 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
    DOI | Repository record
  • Aridi, M., Ibrahim, S. A., Alwan, N., & Ghach, W. (2025). Development and validation of the pesticides label (pictograms and color codes) questionnaire: A pilot study of farmers’ understanding and practices in Lebanon. PLOS ONE, 20(6), e0321591. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0321591
    DOI | Repository record
  • Bakkar, M. M., Aridi, M., Alebrahim, M. A., & Ghach, W. (2025). Incidence of dry eye symptoms and behavioural-cultural risk factors among university students population in Jordan. PLOS ONE, 20(8), e0328235. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0328235
    DOI | Repository record
  • Aridi, M., Hamadain, E., Ghach, W., & Alwan, N. (2025). Validity and reliability of Household Disinfectants-Cleaners Questionnaire (HDCQ) to investigate public awareness and performance in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. BMC Public Health, 25(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-22317-y
    DOI | Repository record
  • Ghach, W., Bakkar, M. M., Aridi, M., & Alebrahim, M. A. (2025). Symptomatic dry eye disease (DED) in cohort of contact lens wearers in Jordan. PLOS ONE, 20(10), e0335254. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0335254
    DOI | Repository record
  • Aridi, M., Alwan, N., & Ghach, W. (2026). Behavioral and cultural determinants of symptomatic dry eye disease among university students in the UAE. PLOS ONE, 21(2). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0343508
    DOI | Repository record
  • Aridi, M., Ghach, W., & Alwan, N. (2024). Validity and reliability of chemical-based disinfectant use questionnaire in a sample of the Lebanese public community. BMJ Open, 14(10), e082268. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-082268
    DOI | Repository record
  • Sallam, M., Elsayed, W., Al-Shorbagy, M., Barakat, M., El Khatib, S., Ghach, W., Alwan, N., Hallit, S., & Malaeb, D. (2024). ChatGPT usage and attitudes are driven by perceptions of usefulness, ease of use, risks, and psycho-social impact: A study among university students in the UAE. Frontiers in Education, 9, Article 1414758. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1414758
    DOI | Repository record
  • Ghach, W., Takshe, A. A., Rababa, M., Al-Rawashdeh, S., & Alwan, N. (2024). Evaluation of awareness and performance towards COVID-related disinfectant use: a comparative study between Jordan and United Arab Emirates. BMC Infectious Diseases, 24(1), 563. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-024-09447-1
    DOI | Repository record

View repository publications

Academic Contributions

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.