Gillings faculty: 5 questions

David Zhang, PhD

Assistant Professor, Biostatistics and Genetics

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Beijing, China, and I came to the United States when I was 16. I noticed life here is much less competitive.

When did you know that public health was your path?

I started with a background in pure mathematics and computer science, but I was introduced to genomics and medical imaging in graduate school. I was drawn to biomedical data because of the complex and interesting problems in the field.

What are your research interests?

My research focuses on developing novel AI frameworks to advance critical biomedical and health care domains, including spatial omics, computational pathology, medical imaging and medical text analysis.

What do you do to unwind?

Running. I usually run 5k every morning with my goldendoodle in the neighborhood.

What do you think is the top public health issue today?

The potential and the hype of AI in transforming biomedical research and health care. AI will automate many routines of knowledge workers, but it is unclear to what extent this will happen and how intelligent AI will become.

Larelle H. Bookhart, PhD, MPH, RD, IBCLC

Assistant Professor, Maternal and Child Health; Member, Carolina Global Breastfeeding Institute

Where did you grow up?

I’m a proud native of Halifax County. My family has strong roots in Eastern North Carolina which has shaped my career and my affinity to want to promote optimal health here in N.C.

What are your research interests?

My research interests include nutrition during the first 1,000 days of life, health care system practices and policies that influence early nutrition, and interventions to reduce and eliminate early nutrition-related health inequities with a focus on breast/chest feeding. My research includes examining factors associated with in-hospital exclusive breastfeeding among healthy, term newborns. I aim to create a continuum of support from the clinical setting to community setting in collaboration with community-based maternal care workers to improve breast/chest feeding outcomes. I am currently a co-investigator for the Partnering with WIC to Advance Maternal Health Equity Collaborating Center, which aims to support research and implementation of evidence-based strategies that can recognize and treat urgent maternal health warning signs among WIC participants.

When did you know that public health was your path?

I entered undergrad interested in pursuing a career in medicine. I took a public policy seminar course my freshman year of undergrad at UNC that explored inequities in various systems in the U.S., including the education system and the health care system. I knew then that to address the inequities that have adversely affected members of my family and community, I needed to pursue a career that focused on systems and population level health.

What do you do to unwind?

I like to unwind by taking long walks in nature. I enjoy spending time with my family. When I am able to, I like to catch up on documentaries and law and medicine dramas such as the Lincoln Lawyer, the Resident, Your Honor and my all-time-favorite Law and Order Special Victims Unit.

What do you think is the top public health issue today?

Based on my vantage point, the biggest issues in public health today are the racial and socioeconomic health inequities that stem from structural racism. I look forward to a career that will address this.

Dilshad Jaff, MD, MPH

Associate Professor, Public Health Leadership and Practice

Where did you grow up?

I was born in Iraq in a town situated between lowland Mesopotamia and the highlands of Persia. As a Kurd, my community has been ravaged by conflict and violence for millennia. The armies of empires lying to the east and west of my town have passed through it for centuries and even today. Throughout the ages, my community has suffered the direct and indirect impacts of wars, and my distant ancestors and living relatives have often been forced to flee our home.

What are your research interests?

My research interests are shaped by my personal and work experience: how to address complicated humanitarian crises across the world. There are so many complex issues in these settings – health care services including mental health, maternal and child health, refugee communities and internal displacement, crisis response, and others. It’s important to communicate well and collaborate with other people and organizations so that we can address these critical challenges collectively. Research and scholarship related to improving humanitarian assistance has been an important focus for me during my career. Over the years, I conducted a range of implementation research studies that gathered data to improve humanitarian health practice. Included among my particular expertise and skills are designing, implementing and leading programs in humanitarian crisis and low-income settings; community engagement and interventions in crisis settings; managing emergencies, such as outbreak control, mass casualties and malnutrition; and other related subjects. I have published more than 50 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters on complex humanitarian emergencies, mental health and quality of care in humanitarian settings. My papers have served as guidance tools to other practitioners who are working to improve the quality of care offered by humanitarian organizations. These commendations and actions suggest that my work has a considerable impact on the field of public health in the U.S. and beyond. Considering the continuing world crises and the success of my work to date, I am confident that I will continue to contribute in important ways to improving health service delivery in complex emergencies.

When did you know that public health was your path?

Conflict really shaped my path. I grew up in a conflict zone and have worked in a number of settings where there are complex humanitarian emergencies. There are so many needs – medical, public health, conflict resolution, psychological and social support. Being a physician is useful, but the relationship is one-to-one between the patient and physician. It’s not about the community. More was needed, and I felt that I could do more.

What do you do to unwind?

I write. I have written a lot of commentaries and viewpoints online, and I’ve journaled a lot, even on scrap pieces of paper in the field. For me, writing is healing. So is talking to my family members and social network – they are an important source of support. I do meditation a lot as well.

What do you think is the top public health issue today?

For me, it’s mental health. This is an important issue everywhere, but for me, especially, in conflict zones. Every community you go into in a conflict zone, for example, you see all these generations who grew up with violence and conflict, and there is no effective way to help and treat them. On top of that, education is disrupted, health services are disrupted, and poverty and disease are widespread. I mean, it’s 2025, and still people die from measles and cholera and all these things, and polio and others sometimes. But I think mental health needs more attention.

Lamis Jomaa

Assistant Professor, Nutrition

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in the Middle East, spending my childhood between Lebanon, my homeland, a small and beautiful country along the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea and the United Arab Emirates, where my family sought refuge for a few years to escape the war. Growing up in the Middle East, I was fortunate to enjoy the long and rich history of vibrant traditions, natural beauty, diverse cultural heritage, rich cuisine and warm hospitality.

When did you know that public health was your path?

My interest in the field of public health started during my high school years when I started reading more about nutrition and how food impacts our health and well-being. Despite my strong interest in this field, I first started my undergraduate studies as an English literature major before shifting into the field of nutrition, which was still a young and growing field of studies in the Middle East. It was through volunteering and extracurricular activities during college and beyond that got me particularly interested in the field of community and public health nutrition. This got me to change my major and pursue my undergraduate degree in nutrition and dietetics and then completed my dietetic internship at the American University of Beirut in Lebanon before pursuing my graduate studies in the U.S. as a Fulbright Scholar. I have always been interested in learning how public health nutrition programs and community-based interventions can make a difference in people’s lives, especially children and adolescents.

What are your research interests?

My research interests are focused on evaluating the burden and determinants of food and nutrition insecurity experienced by different population groups including children, adolescents, young adults (college students), as well as refugees and displaced individuals in the U.S. and globally. In addition, my work includes designing evidence-based community nutrition interventions that aim at reducing health disparities while improving overall nutrition and health outcomes of those most at risk of food insecurity and malnutrition. In parallel, I continue to work on innovative methods to promote sustainable, healthy and affordable diets and examine environmental footprints associated with dietary changes observed among different population groups.

What do you do to unwind?

I enjoy spending time with my family, reading non-fiction books, listening to different podcasts and international music, going for outdoor walks and hikes, swimming, and traveling to visit different countries and learn more about the diversity of cultures and rich cuisines. Yes, both my husband and I are foodies.

What do you think is the top public health issue today?

In my opinion, one of the biggest challenges that continue to face public health is the high rates of food insecurity and malnutrition in its different forms – undernutrition, overnutrition (overweight and obesity) and micronutrient deficiencies – that affect the most vulnerable individuals and communities in the U.S. and globally. My research and personal interests in this domain are the culmination of my lived experiences and a career that is focused on examining how conflicts and wars along with poor governance, inequities in distribution of resources can uproot lives, destroy livelihoods, damage our environment and perpetuate food insecurity, leading to the vicious cycles of poverty and malnutrition. Despite these challenges, I find hope in the field of public health to continue to uplift the unheard voices of those most vulnerable, to protect and promote the health and lives of those most in need, and uphold human rights of ensuring food, clothes, shelter, education (and more) are always provided to all people for a dignified life.