The Eco-lution Club is Canadian University Dubai's active student body for environmental stewardship and sustainable action. Our mission is to foster a culture of responsibility through education and hands-on engagement. Members participate in a diverse range of activities, including community cleanups to protect local marine biodiversity and immersive learning experiences to understand vital conservation efforts. Eco-lution provides a platform for students to connect with like-minded peers, apply their knowledge to real-world challenges, and become leaders in the movement for a sustainable future.
Faculty in Action

Dr. Wissam Ghach presented at the "17th IFEH World Congress on Environmental Health", hosted by Environmental Health Australia (EHA) in Perth, Western Australia, on 20 - 24 May 2024. His research presentations were about: 1) Community Awareness of Safe Disinfectant in the Middle East amid COVID-19, and 2) Effectiveness of Pesticide Label Information, WHO Colour Codes, and GHS-FAO pictograms among Farmers. Attendees were from academic institutions, environmental health authority and industry.

Dr. Aseel Takshe presented at the Emirates HigherEd Safety Professionals Network (EHSPN), hosted by NYU-AD on 6th of June 2023. Her presentation was about the importance of Integrating Occupational, Health and Safety Topics in Academic Curricula. Attendees were from both Academic Institutions and OHS Industry.

Dr. Sawsan Al Madhi spoke at 10th Global Patients Congress (GPC 2023) session titled 'Evolving novel patient partnerships in genomic personalised medicine and digital health - AI and Machine learning' which took place in Geneva, Switzerland. The session covered how the next decade will increasingly see many innovative disrupter health technologies emerge from the convergence of genomic medicine with artificial intelligence and digital healthcare solutions and their impact on the world of healthcare as we know it.

As an appointed expert member of the World Health Organization (WHO) Technical Advisory Group (TAG) for the Universal Health and Preparedness Review (UHPR), Dr. Mohammed AlKhaldi, Assistant Professor at the Department of Public Health had a visit to the WHO-QH with the presence of the Director General of WHO and other official seniors. The meeting of TAG was held in Geneva between 22 to 28 March 2023. Dr. AlKhaldi contributed to the deliberations of TAG experts that led to revising the global UHPR process and piloted countries and developing a global plan for the next stage of UHPR implementation.

Dr. Ahmad Okasha, from the Department of Public Health participated in the 4th MENA Telehealth Conference that took place on March 7th-8th 2023 in Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel, Dubai. The annual MENA Telehealth conference brings healthcare regulators, health funding authorities, payers, health insurance service providers, telemedicine service providers, CXOs healthcare organizations, healthcare professionals, eHealth technicians and academic institutions under one umbrella to present and discuss current trends, challenges, and possible telehealth solutions.

Dr. Sawsan AlMadhi, Adjunct Professor at the Department of Public Health moderated several discussions on leadership, AI, & wellness at the 6th International Multidisciplinary Breast Conference in Dubai. The scientific committee recognised her dedication to advancing knowledge and improving patient care with a well-deserved certificate of appreciation!

Dr. Wissam Ghach, a faculty member of Environmental Health Management at Canadian University Dubai represented the university at the on-site ‘Seminar II of the DIES ProGrant Program in Amman, Jordan’.
The program was organized by the University of Cologne, Germany, to train academic researchers in writing; and to review proposals for research grants – under the affiliation of the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD), the German Academic Exchange Service.

The Bachelor of Science in Environmental Health Management will equip you with the current tools and techniques to face the most challenging issues related to health organization and environmental health.
With a degree in this field, you will be a crucial asset to environmental and health employers, ministers and international organizations!
Dr. Ahmad Okasha from the CUD’s Department of Environmental Health Science was selected by EIAC to receive the first UAE national accreditation standards for healthcare providers training. Emirates International Accreditation Centre (EIAC) was established pursuant to Law number (27) for the year 2015, issued by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai, to become the governmental accreditation body of the Emirate of Dubai. EIAC recently has received endorsement from the International Society for Quality in Health Care External Evaluation Association (ISQua EEA) for its Accreditation Standard for Healthcare Providers. CUD is looking forward for continuing collaboration with EIAC to serve the healthcare community in the UAE.

Dr. Mohammed AlKhaldi Dr. Mohammed AlKhaldi leads CUD's students' participation in a panel discussion with environmental journalist Anna Turns, focusing on sustainability. The session was held in preparation for COP28, at the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature. COP28 is the 28th Conference of Parties session, a key decision-making body under the United Nations Framework Convention focusing on Climate Change, aiming to create strong climate messages.
During the panel discussion, the students were taught about the significance of diversity, the use of gamification in implementing solutions, and educating the public, which are crucial elements in tackling the climate crisis and achieving worldwide impact.

Dr. Ahmad Okasha participated in the 5th GCC eHealth Workforce Development Conference on the 2-3rd of November 2022 at Jumeirah Emirates Towers, Dubai. The GCC Taskforce on Workforce Development in Digital Healthcare envisions a sustainable digital health ecosystem through a skilled and empowered local eHealth workforce. The conference brings health informatics experts from health authorities, health industry, and universities across the GCC region as well as global experts. Canadian University Dubai is a regular and active participant in the conference and specifically in the annual roundtable on the role of higher education. This year's theme was the Role of Higher Education in the eHealth Capacity Building
Congratulations to Dr. Sawsan Al Madhi, Assistant Professor – Faculty of Communication, Arts and Sciences, who has been featured in Arabian Business’s 2021 Women of Influence list!
“Among the most influential leaders in the UAE and the wider Arab region spearheading the movement for cancer prevention and control, Dr Sawsan Al Madhi is the driving force behind one of UAE’s largest civil society organisations, Friends Of Cancer Patients (FOCP)”

Dr. Mohammed Alkhaldi, Department of Public Health Assistant Professor was a keynote speaker at The Global Health Network Conference, “Enabling Health Research in Every Healthcare Setting”, on 24-25 November 2022, in Cape Town, South Africa. His research work was centred around " a vision for structured and impactful health research: from system analysis and understanding towards system strengthening of the health research systems in developing countries.
This research work aligns with the aim and scope of this global conference that focuses on sharing methods, skills, countries' experiences, and approaches in fostering health research in every disease, setting and community. The submitted research work was selected among more than 900 abstracts received from all parts of the world through a highly competitive process.
Research Activities
- R. A. Alrous, R. Zgheib, A. Mashnouq, P. Menon, R. A. Tamimi and A. Takshe, "Smart Air-Quality Detection Using Regression Models," 2024 15th International Conference on Information and Communication Systems (ICICS), Irbid, Jordan, 2024, pp. 1-6, doi: 10.1109/ICICS63486.2024.10638296.
- Ghach, W., Takshe, A.A., Rababa, M. et al. Evaluation of awareness and performance towards COVID-related disinfectant use: a comparative study between Jordan and United Arab Emirates. BMC Infect Dis 24, 563 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-024-09447-1
- Rashid, N.S.A., Mohamad Marzuki, M.F., Abdullah, N.N., Mohamad, M., Takshe, A.A., Yunus, R.M., Chen, X.W. Supporting caregivers of people with dementia: insights from Demensia KITA mobile application online content development. Sci Rep 14, 19302 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-69947-7
- Al Jaghoub J., Suleiman A., Takshe A.A., Moussa S., Gilani S., Sheikh S., & Tantry, A. . (2024). The Role of Innovation in Waste Management for Enterprises: A Critical Review of the Worldwide Literature. In: El Khoury, R. (eds) Technology-Driven Business Innovation. Studies in Systems, Decision and Control, vol 223. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-51997-0_38
- Shreedhar, Ganga , Contu, Davide, Freitag, Patricia, Takshe, Aseel and Mourato, Susana (2024) Greening systems by greening religion: eco-Islamic values and water-energy-nature nexus policies in Kuwait. LSE Middle East Centre Kuwait Programme Paper Series (24). LSE Middle East Centre, London, UK.
- 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
- 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
- Barkati N, Ntefeh N, Okasha A, Takshe AA, ElKhatib R, Chelli S. Robotic assisted surgery in the United Arab Emirates: healthcare experts' perceptions. J Robot Surg. 2023 Sep 21. doi: 10.1007/s11701-023-01716-6.
- Takshe, A.A., Hennawi, M., Jebril, S. et al. Investigating determinants of pro-environmental behaviors amongst UAE university students through Q-methodology. Discov Sustain 4, 38 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-023-00156-4
- 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
- Yousef, D., Takshe, A.A. and Contu, D. (2023), "Faculty perceptions of online presence: intercultural considerations", Journal for Multicultural Education, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/JME-07-2022-0091
- 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
- Issa ST, Takshe AA, Alwan NH and ElBarazi I (2023) Editorial: Pesticides exposure and public health. Front. Public Health 11:1211115. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1211115
- 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.
- Okasha, A. A., Haq, F., Medhekar, A., & Yasin, N. (2022). Exploring the challenges for medical tourism in the united Arab Emirates during the covid-19 pandemic era: A stakeholder perspective. Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes. https://doi.org/10.1108/WHATT-10-2022-0119
- 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
- Chaiban, C., Maamari, O., Issa, S., & Kosremelli Asmar, M. (2023). The experience of ER nurses in Lebanese hospitals, during the Covid-19 outbreak: A qualitative study. Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2022.304
- Abu-Odah, H., Said, N. B., Nair, S. C., Allsop, M. J., Currow, D. C., Salah, M. S., . . . AlKhaldi, M. (2022). Identifying barriers and facilitators of translating research evidence into clinical practice: A systematic review of reviews. Health and Social Care in the Community, https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.13898
- Alalawi, S., Issa, S. T., Takshe, A. A., & ElBarazi, I. (2022). A Review of the Environmental Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United Arab Emirates. Environmental Challenges, 8, 100561. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envc.2022.100561
- Chadli, L., Haq, F. M., Okasha, A., & Attou, R. (2022). Post-traumatic mental and physical consequences of frontline reporting in the MENA region. Open Public Health Journal, 15(1) http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/18749445-v15-e221209-2022-233
- 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
- Jairoun, A. A., Al Hemyari, S. S., Abdulla, N. M., Shahwan, M., Jairoun, M., Godman, B., . . . Kurdi, A. (2022). Development and validation of a tool to improve community pharmacists’ surveillance role in the safe dispensing of herbal supplements. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 13 doi:10.3389/fphar.2022.916223
- Jairoun, A. A., Al-Hemyari, S. S., Abdulla, N. M., El-Dahiyat, F., Shahwan, M., Hassan, N., . . . Jaber, A. A. S. (2022). Awareness and preparedness of human monkeypox outbreak among university student: Time to worry or one to ignore? Journal of Infection and Public Health, 15(10), 1065-1071. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jiph.2022.08.015
- Kamkar, F., Khawatmi, L., Arif, A., Hamed, H., Issa, S. T., Khatib, R. E., Takshe, A.A. & Karkain, R. M. (2022). Assessing climate change indicators in the United Arab Emirates. International Journal of Global Warming, 26(3), 247-268. https://dx.doi.org/10.1504/IJGW.2022.121226
- Najjar, S., Hafez, S., Al Basuoni, A., Obaid, H. A., Mughnnamin, I., Falana, H., . . . Alkhaldi, M. (2022). Stakeholders’ perception of the palestinian health workforce accreditation and regulation system: A focus on conceptualization, influencing factors and barriers, and the way forward. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(13) doi:10.3390/ijerph19138131
- Nasser Eddine, N., Noisel, N., Dieme, D., Asmar, M. K., Issa, S. T., & Bouchard, M. (2022). Multi-matrix biomonitoring approach to assess exposure to metals and trace elements in the lebanese population and associations with drinking water consumption. Environmental Research, 214 doi:10.1016/j.envres.2022.113982
- Okasha, A. A., Haq, F., Medhekar, A., & Yasin, N. (2022). Exploring the challenges for medical tourism in the united Arab Emirates during the covid-19 pandemic era: A stakeholder perspective. Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes. https://doi.org/10.1108/WHATT-10-2022-0119
- Poursheikhali, A., Alkhaldi, M., Dehnavieh, R., Haghdoost, A. A., Masoud, A., Noorihekmat, S., . . . Bamir, M. (2022). What the policy and stewardship landscape of a national health research system looks like in a developing country like iran: A qualitative study. Health Research Policy and Systems, 20(1) doi:10.1186/s12961-022-00905-3
- Rashid, N. S. A., Chen, X. W., Mohamad Marzuki, M. F., Takshe, A. A., Okasha, A., Maarof, F., & Yunus, R. M. (2022). Development and Usability Assessment of a Mobile App (Demensia KITA) to Support Dementia Caregivers in Malaysia: A Study Protocol. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(19), 11880. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191911880
- Takshe, A. A., Hashi, Z., Mohammed, M., & Astari, A. (2022). Eco-anxiety: A Q method analysis towards eco-anxiety attitudes in the united arab emirates. Journal of Social Work Practice, doi:10.1080/02650533.2022.2137120
- Takshe, A. A., Khatib, R. E., Contu, D., Shehaiber, S. N., & Alkaabi, M. (2022). UAE university students’ dietary practices and lifestyles at times of covid-19: A cross sectional study. Current Research in Nutrition and Food Science, 10(2), 647-656. https://dx.doi.org/10.12944/CRNFSJ.10.2.20
- Takshe, A. A., Lovett, J. C., Stenner, P., Contu, D., & Weber, N. (2022). Prioritising climate change actions post COVID-19 amongst university students; a Q methodology perspective in the United Arab Emirates. International Journal of Global Warming, 26(1), 120-139. https://dx.doi.org/10.1504/IJGW.2022.120071
- Li, L., Shi, S., Miao, Z., Xu, J., Duan, X., Okasha, A., & Qeshta, M. H. (2021). Mathematical model under E-health context for diagnosis of head and neck space gram infection through CT imaging. Results in Physics, 26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rinp.2021.104362
- Shen, H., Hu, Y., Liu, X., Jiang, Z., Ye, H., Takshe, A., & Al Dulaimi, S. H. K. (2021). Application of Machine Learning Risk Prediction Mathematical Model in the Diagnosis of Escherichia Coli Infection in Patients with Septic Shock by Cardiovascular Color Doppler Ultrasound. Results in Physics, 26, 104368. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rinp.2021.104368
- Wei, J., Zhu, R., Zhang, H., Li, P., Okasha, A., & Muttar, A. K. H. (2021). Application of PET/CT image under convolutional neural network model in postoperative pneumonia virus infection monitoring of patients with non-small cell lung cancer. Results in Physics, 26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rinp.2021.104385
- Xu, P., Chen, B., Takshe, A., & Omar, K. M. (2021). Helicobacter Pylori Infection in Adult Obesity-related Nephropathy Patients Under the Partial Differential Network Mathematical Model-based Artificial Intelligence Health Data Monitoring. Results in Physics, 26, 104371. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rinp.2021.104371
- Zang, S., Zhang, Y., Xu, J., Du, Y., Issa, S., & Al Dulaimi, S. H. K. (2021). Postoperative drug-resistant bacteria infection in patients with acute stanford type A aortic dissection under two-fluid numerical simulation model. Results in Physics, 26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rinp.2021.104394
- Zhang, W., Ma, A., Takshe, A., & Muwafak, B. M. (2021). Establishment of differential model of recovery treatment for children with minor brain injury and mental disorder syndrome. Mathematical Biosciences and Engineering, 18(5), 5614-5624. https://doi.org/10.3934/mbe.2021283
- Okasha, A. (2019). Resource partitioning and hospital specialization. Journal of Health Management, 21(3), 337–350. https://doi.org/10.1177/0972063419868543
Advisory Board

Professor Michael Sparer
Dr. Michael S. Sparer is Professor and Chair in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University. Professor Sparer studies and writes about the politics of health care, with a particular emphasis on the health insurance and health delivery systems for low-and-middle income populations, both in the United States and globally. His current projects include a study of the rise (and demise) of most of the non-profit insurance "cooperatives" created by the Affordable Care Act, an analysis of the cross-national politics of public health, and an examination of political and policy implications of permitting all Americans to buy-into Medicaid. He is a two-time winner of the Mailman School's Student Government Association Teacher of the Year Award, the recipient of a 2010 Columbia University Presidential Award for Outstanding Teaching, and the winner of the Core Curriculum Teaching Excellence Award. Professor Sparer spent seven years as a litigator for the New York City Law Department, specializing in inter-governmental social welfare litigation. After leaving the practice of law, Sparer obtained a PhD in Political Science from Brandeis University. Sparer is the former editor of the Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, and the author of Medicaid and the Limits of State Health Reform, as well as numerous articles and book chapters.

Dr. Sawsan AlMadhi
Dr. Sawsan AlMadhi is a Medical Doctor, holding an MSc in healthcare management (RCSI) and Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, UK. Dr. AlMadhi holds more than 20 years of progressive leadership skills and experience in strategy, operations, and administration for the non-profit charitable sector. In addition, she is a very renowned public speaker who also focuses on women’s health. Previously she was the Director-General for Friends of Cancer Patients, one of the most reputable charities in the UAE, and currently she is the CEO & Founder AlignnEficient Health Consultancies. Dr. Sawsan was named as one of the CEO Women with influence in 2021. Dr. Sawsan is also lecturer at different UAE universities and conducted variety of speeches, presentations, trainings, and workshops.

Dr. Rashed Karkain
Dr. Rashed Karkain in an Emirati innovator, has a Ph.D. in Environment and Health, Master of Science in Innovation & Change Management and a Chemical Engineer graduated from University of South Florida, and more than 25 years of experience on the Technical as well as Leadership level in Sustainable Development, Environmental Project Management, Environmental Studies and Planning, Sustainable Management of Municipal Solid Wastes and Hazardous Wastes, Occupational Health and Safety and Integrated and Sustainable Wastewater Treatment. He has achieved Dubai Government Excellence Award twice, the First Place for Technical Project in 2010 and the Second Place on Technical Outstanding Employee in 2016, as well as Innovation Awards from Mohammed Bin Rashid Centre for Government Innovation (2020). Additionally, he has 10 registered Intellectual Properties at UAE’s Ministry of Economy.
Dr. Rashed is also lecturer at different UAE universities and conducted variety of speeches, presentations, trainings & workshops as well as research papers.

Dr. Monika Havelka
Dr. Monika Havelka is an Associate Professor, and the Environment Program director and Environment Science Program Director at the University of Toronto (UofT). Her research interests and teaching include small-mammal ecology; restoration ecology; the ecology of the UTM whitetail deer population. Dr. Havelka also carries out research on pedagogy and the development of curriculum-based tools for learning. She co-teaches a Summer Abroad course in the Andes, Amazon, and Galápagos Islands.






















