About the Center for Global Health
Arash Alaei, MD
Meet Dr. Arash Alaei
Arash Alaei, MD
Director, Center for Global Health
Professor, Department of Health Sciences and Health Care Administration
Dr. Arash Alaei is currently serving as a faculty member at the department of health sciences and health care administration at California State University, Long Beach. He is the senior advisor for the Global Health Security, USAID office in the Republic of Tajikistan. He has an extensive experience to develop and lead multi and interdisciplinary research projects in the field of HIV, HCV, TB, MAT and reducing drug related harms; design, adapt, implement and evaluate HIV prevention, care and harm reduction innovations, and integrate HIV services into a primary health care (PHC) system. He is county PI of the NIH-NIDA grant ExMAT lead by Yale University in Tajikistan. He was a member of TRP Global Fund from 2017-2021.
Since 2016 he has been senior consultant and advisor for numbers of national and international organizations such as Tajikistan Ministry of Health, UNAIDS, UNICEF, WHO, PEPFAR, CDC and FAO. He wrote the global fund funding request and Tajikistan was funded $19 million to fight HIV 2017-2020. Dr. Alaei has experience of developing international collaborations between faculty members and students. He led groups of international experts to develop public health and medical care guidelines. He helped to expand the capacity of several AIDS centers and NGOs to implement and improve the quality of HIV test and treatment programs and evaluated the outcome of ART. He has years of experiences to integrate vertical medical care to the PHC services and developed the National Strategic Plans.
In order to increase access to higher education and remove language barriers, Dr. Alaei developed the Global Multilingual Online Initiative (GMOI), piloting an online education initiative in conflict zones for over 525 internally displaced medical students in Syria.
Dr. Alaei was associate vice provost for international education at SUNY-Albany and director of office for international education and research programs at the National Research Institute for TB and Lung Diseases, WHO/EMRO Collaborating Center. In those capacities, he developed a number of undergrad and graduate dual-diploma programs with international universities and several research collaboration and student exchange programs. He has received several awards such as:
2021 - National Medal of Excellence, provided by the Minister of Health of Tajikistan
2021 - The Physician of the Year of Tajikistan, selected by community and journalists
2018 - Institute of International Education - SRF Outstanding Scholar Award for exceptional academic work and commitment to students suffering under repression and conflict
2017 - Patroon Award, recognizing leaders who make Albany of New York a better place to live
2013 - Citizen of the University Award, University at Albany, SUNY, recognizing outstanding contributions to the University
2012 - Elizabeth Taylor Award, Inaugural award, in Recognition of Efforts to Advocate for Human Rights in the field of HIV presented by Actress Sharon Stone and sponsored by The Foundation for AIDS Research and the International AIDS Society
2011 - Leadership in Health and Human Rights, Inaugural award, Pan-American Health Organization/World Health Organization
2011 - Jonathan Mann Award for Global Health and Human Rights, from Global Health Council
2009 - Heinz R. Pagels Human Rights of Scientists Award, New York Academy of Science
Kamiar Alaei, MD, MPH, MS, Mst DrPH,
Professor and Chair, Department of Health Sciences
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Olivia Amalfitano
Olivia Amalfitano is a current Master of Public Health Student at California State University, Long Beach, studying Community Health Education with a concentration in Global Health. She is working with the Center for Global Health on multiple research projects including Mother-to-child HIV Transmission Prevention in Tajikistan and pesticide use in Uzbekistan. She is also a research assistant for CSULB’s Center for Higher Equitable Education working on student basic needs research.
Adebimpe Akinwalere
I’m a medical doctor from Nigeria and currently a second-year graduate student in the Master of Public Health program at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB).
Over the past two years, I’ve been fortunate to work on research projects that reflect my passion for advancing health equity and global health. I contributed to an HIV research project in Tajikistan with Drs. Kamair Alaei, Arash Alaei, and Brian Kwan, a collaboration that led to my first three academic publications and helped support the launch of the Center for Global Health here at CSULB. I also had the opportunity to present our work on early HIV detection at this year’s Grad Slam, where I was proud to place third in the STEM category.
I’m also working as a graduate research assistant on Dr. Niloofar Bavarian’s NIH/NIDA-funded project focused on prescription stimulant misuse among college students, work that bridges research with real-world public health interventions. My dedication to research and academic excellence has also been recognized through the Graduate Equity Fellowship and, most recently, the Academic Affairs University Achievement Award for Outstanding Graduate Student in Student RSCA.
Looking ahead, I’m excited to continue working at the intersection of clinical medicine, public health research, and technology to address health disparities, especially in underserved communities. My hope is to make an impact, uplift others, and, if nothing else, inspire even just one person.
Amr Zein
Amr is a Master of Public Health (MPH) student with a concentration in Global Health at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB). As a graduate research assistant with the CSULB Center for Global Health, he has dedicated much of his academic and research efforts to examining the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global health outcomes. His thesis focuses on the timely initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) following HIV diagnosis in Tajikistan, and he has been actively working under the mentorship of Dr. Arash Alaei, Dr. Kamiar Alaei, and Dr. Brian Kwan. In addition, Amr has collaborated on research investigating the intersection of health policy, chronic and infectious disease management across the Middle East and Central Asia.
In recognition of his work, he has been invited to present his HIV research at the 2025 International AIDS Society (IAS) Conference in Kigali, Rwanda. In addition to his academic pursuits, he plans to pursue a career in medicine, aspiring to become a physician with a global health lens. He is actively involved in health equity initiatives and is committed to bridging public health and clinical medicine. With a strong desire to advocate for underserved populations, he hopes to contribute to building resilient, inclusive healthcare systems worldwide.
Amr is also an intern at the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services under the Racial & Health Equity team. In this role, he is contributing to the implementation of the city's first-ever Black Community Health and Strength Needs Assessment. His work involves helping identify and analyze key health indicators that impact the African American community in Long Beach, with the goal of informing culturally responsive policies and programs that promote equity and community resilience.
Sophia Jobson
Sophia Jobson is a current undergraduate student at CSULB studying biology and chemistry, and she hopes to continue at CSULB to obtain an MPH, with an emphasis on global health. Currently, Sophia is conducting research with the Center for Global Health under the mentorship of Dr. Arash Alaei, focusing on mother-to-child HIV transmission in Tajikistan and the impact of pesticide use in Uzbekistan. In the future, drawing on the experiences she has had with The Center for Global Health at CSULB, she aspires to become a physician specializing in global health, with a focus on women's health and infectious diseases.
Anna Gonzalez
Anna Gonzalez is a fourth-year student at California State University, Long Beach, pursuing a degree in Health Science with a focus on community health. She is currently completing an internship with the Center for Global Health, where she is contributing to a Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) study focused on zoonotic diseases and HIV/AIDS in Tajikistan. Her academic interests and future career aspirations include global health research and disease prevention along with her ultimate goal in getting her Masters in Health Science and going into the field of epidemiology.
