Education & Training

I am interested in understanding the genetic, transcriptomic, metabolomic, and epigenetic contributions that influence the development of complex cardiovascular outcomes in diverse populations. My research during my graduate and post-doctoral training was focused on studying the genetic associations that were mainly driven by common and rare variation to several and related congenital and acquired cardiovascular outcomes such as bicuspid aortic valve (BAV), congenital heart defects (CHD), and thoracic aortic aneurysm and dissection (TAD). Recently, my research has focused on understanding the influence of X-chromosome genes on the development of TAD, a highly lethal vascular condition that results from the enlargement and rupture of the largest artery in the human body (i.e. the aorta). Currently, I am expanding my research in genomic medicine to understand the influence of ancestral and diverse genetic backgrounds of the Hispanic population on cardiovascular outcomes through leveraging genomic data from the Cameron County Hispanic Cohort (CCHC) study. My educational background includes a medical degree (MD) from the University of Baghdad College of Medicine, and a master (MPH) and doctorate (PhD) degrees from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Public Health, and a fellowship training at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).