Email sali@nus.edu.sg

I am a postdoctoral research fellow working under the programme evaluation arm of the Health Intervention and Policy Evaluation Research (HIPER) research unit at the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health. Much of my research expertise centers around interpersonal and community level contributors to non-communicable diseases and lifestyle behaviors in multi-ethnic, Asian, and immigrant populations. Through my experience and training in quantitative, qualitative, and geo-spatial analysis methods, I have conducted work in the US, China, Australia, and Pakistan on topics ranging from social and family dynamics, programme evaluation and implementation science, dietary behaviors and the food environment, COVID-19, injuries and violence, and mental health.

• NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health

• Chronic disease prevention
• Diet and nutrition
• Family and social dynamics
• Program evaluation and implementation science
• Qualitative and mixed methods

• PhD (Public Health), New York University School of Global Public Health (2023)
• BA (Public Health, Political Science), Johns Hopkins University (2019)

• 2023 Co-PI on University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford pilot grant entitled: “Pilot-testing an interactive, automated social media intervention to improve dietary attitudes and self-efficacy among South Asian American young adults”

• Postdoctoral Fellow, National University of Singapore Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health (2023-present)
• Research Associate, New York University Grossman School of Medicine (2021-2022)
• Research Assistant, University of Maryland School of Medicine (2020-2021)
• Research Assistant, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health (2018-2019)

• Ali SH, Parekh N, Islam NS, Merdjanoff AA, DiClemente RJ. Evaluating the healthfulness of Asian American young adult dietary behaviors and its association with family structure: Disaggregated results from NHIS 2015. Nutr Health. 2023;(Online first). doi:10.1177/02601060231151986.
• Ali SH, Islam NS. Developing research interventions in Asian American settings. In: Kwon SC, Trinh-Shevrin C, Islam NS, Yi SS, eds. Applied Population Health Approaches for Asian American Communities. John Wiley & Sons, Inc; 2022:85-105.
• Ali SH, Mohsin FM, Banks A, Lynn P, Lim S. Peer-Led, Remote Intervention to Improve Mental Health Outcomes Using a Holistic, Spirituality-Based Approach: Results from a Pilot Study. Community Ment Health J. 2022;58(5):862-874. doi:10.1007/s10597-021-00893-8
• Ali SH, Gupta S, Tariq M, Vasquez-Lopez X, Penikalapati R, Auer S, Hanif C, Parekh N, Merdjanoff AA, DiClemente RJ. Mapping drivers of second-generation South Asian American eating behaviors using a novel integration of qualitative and social network analysis methods. Ecol Food Nutr. 2022;61(4):503-521. doi:10.1080/03670244.2022.2056166
• Ali SH, Merdjanoff AA, Parekh N, DiClemente RJ. Development of an Integrated Approach to Virtual Mind-Mapping: Methodology and Applied Experiences to Enhance Qualitative Health Research. Qual Health Res. 2022;32(3):571-580. doi:10.1177/10497323211058161
• Ali SH, Imbruce VM, Russio RG, Kaplan S, Stevenson K, Mezzacca TA, Foster V, Radee A, Chong S, Tsui F, Kranick J, Yi SS. Evaluating Closures of Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Vendors During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Methodology and Preliminary Results Using Omnidirectional Street View Imagery. JMIR Form Res. 2021;5(2):e23870. doi:10.2196/23870
• Ali SH, Islam NS, Commodore-Mensah Y, Yi SS. Implementing Hypertension Management Interventions in Immigrant Communities in the U.S.: a Narrative Review of Recent Developments and Suggestions for Programmatic Efforts. Curr Hypertens Rep. 2021;23(1):5. doi:10.1007/s11906-020-01121-6

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