Dr. Maryam Ba-Break

Overview

Maryam is a lecturer in International Public Health at the University of Leeds with 21 years of experience in teaching, research and consultancy in the UK and eight Low and Middle Income Countries. Prior to joining the University of Leeds in 2009, she was worked as a medical doctor in public and private hospitals in rural and urban Yemen and as a leader of public health projects related to child and women health. As a researcher, Maryam lead and participated in many national surveys, project evaluations and studies in in Eastern meditation (EMRO) region funded by the Ministry of Health, UNICEF, Dutch Embassy, CARE International and the SOUL Organization for Women and Child Development. She leads five modules at the undergraduate and Masters level: principles of public health, health system research methods, maternal, reproductive and child health and two modules on the global challenges in non-communicable disease control. Maryam supervises students’ research and dissertations in topics related to non-communicable diseases, over and under nutrition, maternal and child health, health promotion, behaviour changes and smoking prevention. She is regularly asked to deliver training courses inside and outside the UK. Maryam is a medical doctor trained in International Public Health and undertook a master and PhD at University of Leeds.

Thematic Expertise

• School-based Behavior Change Interventions
• Primary prevention of smoking
• Non communicable diseases control
• Malnutrition control (over and under nutrition)
• Health systems research methods
• Applied epidemiology and Biostatistics
• Monitoring and evaluation of health projects
• Health promotion and behavior change
• Maternal, child and adolescents’ health in Low and Middle Income Countries

Geographical Expertise

UK, Egypt, Yemen, Oman, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria, Jordan.

Responsibilities

• Deputy Director of the International Masters of Public health (MPH)
• The leader of two undergraduate modules and three postgraduate modules

Research interests

Maryam is interested in researching the following topics in developing and transitional countries, using systematic review, as well as quantitative and qualitative research methods:

• Non communicable diseases particularly obesity and smoking as main risk factors
• Health of refugees and ethnic minorities
• Maternal and child health including under-nutrition
• Behaviour change and school-based interventions.

Qualifications

• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Leeds- UK
• Master in International Public Health (with distinction) University of Leeds UK
• Postgraduate Diploma in Community Medicine (with distinction)
• Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MB BCH), Faculty of Medicine
• Teaching Award (ULTA2) of Teaching in Higher Education- University of Leeds- UK

Professional memberships

• Member of Stop Cancer Organization
• Member of Health Society for Blindness Control
• Member of Public Health Institute
• Member of Arabic Reproductive Health Research Association
• Member of SOUL Organization for Women and Child Development
• Member of Medical Association
• Member of Medical Council

Student education

Maryam leads the following modules:

• Health System Research Methods  (Masters)
• Non communicable Diseases  (Masters)
• Maternal Reproductive and Child Health (BSc)
• Global Pattern of Non-Communicable Diseases  (BSc)
• Principle of Public Health (Masters)

Additionally, Maryam is involved in teaching activities in the following modules:

• Introduction to Global and Public Health (Masters)
• Key Issues in International Health (Masters)
• Responses to Key Issues in International Health (Masters)
• Health promotion (Masters)
• Monitoring and Evaluation of Health Programs (Masters)
• Human Rescores Planning and Management for Health (Masters)
• Sexual and Reproductive Health (Masters)
• Implication of Conflict and Emergency on Health Care System (Masters)

Maryam also supervises student’s undergraduate projects and masters dissertations on the following topics:

• Maternal and child health
• Adolescents’ health and risky behavior
• Undernutrition among women and children
• Refugees health
• Non communicable disease
• Smoking prevention
• Obesity control
• Communicable diseases

Research groups and institutes

• Leeds Institute of Health Sciences