Title(s): Professor , Director, Prevention Research Center for Rural Health
Department: Community and Behavioral Health
Office: N416 CPHB
Phone: (319) 384-1472
Dr. Afifi engages in public health research and practice with intent to promote social, community, and policy environments conducive to wellbeing. Whenever possible, she uses methods of Community Based Participatory Research; applies an ecological lens to the understanding of the issues; engages multiple disciplines to widen the perspectives on any topic; and emphasizes knowledge transfer of research to practice and policy. She is specifically interested in intervention and implementation science.
Most of Rima’s research and practice has centered on adolescent and youth health and wellbeing; and on the Arab world. This has infused her research and practice with critical reflections on the impact of global politics, economics, trade; and of war, conflict and contexts of uncertainty; as well as the power of youth agency and voice. A secondary area of research emphasis has been tobacco control, and particularly alternative tobacco products including hookah and e-cigarettes. Using the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control as a guidance document, her research has explored determinants of use, as well as policy solutions to minimize the morbidity and mortality burden of alternative tobacco products.
Courses Taught
- CPH 1400: Fundamentals of Public Health
- CPH 2600: Introduction to Public Health Methods
- CPH 4105: Introduction to Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
- CPH 6410: Global Health Equity
- CPH 7270: Principles of Scholarly Integrity: Public Health
- CBH 5235: Community-Based Participatory Research
- CBH 6205: Designing and Implementing Interventions
Research Interests
- Adolescent/Youth Wellbeing
- Health and Wellbeing of Refugees
- Tobacco Prevention and Control
- Mental Health
- Community Participatory Approaches
- Structural Determinants of Health
- Intervention Development and Evaluation
Background
Affiliations
In the News
- Rima Afifi to present the CPH Distinguished Faculty Lecture April 15
- Rima Afifi to present the 2023 Distinguished Faculty Lecture
- Afifi discusses mental health and immigrant communities
- The Power of Stories
- Public health researchers lead international study of young adults in humanitarian settings
- Iowa public health professionals invited to share their COVID-19 response stories
- Addressing Health Disparities and Biases in AI and Machine Learning Tools
- CPH studies examine health challenges for farmers
- ‘Barriers to Health Equity in Iowa City’ is Feb. 3
- Shining a Light on Last Responders
- Researchers say definition of those most at risk for COVID-19 should be expanded
- Researchers say COVID-19 messaging for youth needs improvement
- Story, Afifi connecting refugees in Eastern Iowa with mental well-being support
- Afifi discusses messaging, communications, and behavior change during COVID-19 pandemic
- Afifi talks about challenges facing college students
- Study finds most high school e-cigarette users report other substance use
- Afifi named director of Prevention Research Center
- Afifi named to WHO Guideline Development Group
- Afifi, Bao weigh in on e-cigarettes
- Health for All
- Afifi named interim head of the Department of Community and Behavioral Health
- UI partners with ‘All of Us’ research initiative
- Q&A with CBH Professor Rema Afifi
- UI receives NIH grant to promote All of Us research program
- UI to lead educational campaign about precision medicine
- Afifi: Most shisha users start habit from families