Ali Mokdad

Ali Mokdad, PhD, is Director of Middle Eastern Initiatives and Professor of Global Health at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington. In this role, he is building IHME's presence in the region through new research projects, dissemination and uptake of IHME's methods and results, and consultation with regional leaders in population health.

Prior to joining IHME, Dr. Mokdad worked at the CDC, starting his career there in 1990. He served in numerous positions with the International Health Program; the Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity; the National Immunization Program; and the National Center for Chronic Diseases Prevention and Promotion, where he was Chief of the Behavioral Surveillance Branch.

Dr. Mokdad also managed and directed the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), the world’s largest standardized telephone survey, which enables the CDC, state health departments, and other health and education agencies to monitor risk behaviours related to the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the United States.

Dr. Mokdad has published more than 250 articles and numerous reports. He has received several awards, including the Global Health Achievement Award for his work in Banda Aceh after the tsunami, the Department of Health and Human Services Honor Award for his work on flu monitoring, and the Shepard Award for outstanding scientific contribution to public health for his work on BRFSS.
He received his BS in Biostatistics from the American University of Beirut and his PhD in quantitative epidemiology from Emory University.