معرفی
Yara M. Asi, Ph.D., serves as Assistant Professor at the University of Central Florida's School of Global Health Management and Informatics. She concurrently holds appointments as Visiting Scholar at Harvard's FXB Center for Health and Human Rights, Senior Fellow at George Mason University's Raphaël Lemkin Genocide Prevention Program, and Non-Resident Fellow at both the Arab Center Washington, DC and DAWN MENA. Her research centers on health, human rights, and development in conflict zones, with specialized focus on Palestine and the Occupied Territories.
Her academic foundation includes:
- Ph.D. in Public Affairs (Health Services Management and Research Track) from University of Central Florida
- M.A. in Applied Exercise Physiology from University of Central Florida
- B.S. in Exercise Physiology (minor in Chemistry) from Florida State University
Dr. Asi's scholarship critically examines how occupation, conflict, and systemic inequality shape health outcomes through frameworks of settler colonialism and political determinants of health. She investigates health system collapse in Gaza, securitization of healthcare during pandemics, and structural barriers to health equity for Palestinians, bridging public health, human rights law, and political science to advocate for health justice. Her work challenges conventional global health paradigms by centering Palestinian lived experiences and accountability mechanisms.
Analysis of her 2024-2025 publications reveals dominant themes in health system destruction during active warfare, antimicrobial resistance in protracted conflicts, and political accountability for health outcomes under occupation. These works consistently appear in high-impact venues like The Lancet and BMJ Global Health, establishing her as a leading voice on health in conflict zones with emphasis on Gaza's humanitarian crisis and Palestinian health sovereignty.
Her recognition includes:
- 2020-2021 U.S. Fulbright Scholar to the West Bank
- Visiting Scholar appointment at Harvard University
- Senior Fellowship at George Mason University
- Non-Resident Fellowships at Arab Center Washington, DC and DAWN MENA
Dr. Asi has authored over 50 peer-reviewed publications and her seminal book 'How War Kills: The Overlooked Threats to Our Health' (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2024), which exposes indirect health consequences of war often ignored in conventional analyses. Her research program integrates advocacy with academic rigor, influencing policy through media contributions to The New York Times and The Guardian while directing attention to health justice as central to political resolution in Palestine.
