Profiles

Salma Mohamed Hassan Abdalla, MBBS, MPH, DrPH

Adjunct Assistant Professor, Global Health - Boston University School of Public Health

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Biography

Salma Abdalla, a physician by training, is an adjunct Assistant Professor in Global Health at Boston University School of Public Health. She was the Director of the Rockefeller-Boston University 3-D Commission on Determinants of health, Data science, and Decision making. Her research focuses on how data on the social, economic, and commercial determinants can be used to inform decision-making on population health in different contexts. She also studies the effects of trauma on global population mental health. She has published over 80 scientific journal articles, co-authored 8 reports and policy briefs, and co-authored 9 book chapters.

Other Positions

  • Assistant Professor, Epidemiology - Boston University School of Public Health

Education

  • Boston University School of Public Health, DPH/DrPH
  • University of Khartoum, MBBS
  • Boston University School of Public Health, MPH

Websites

Classes Taught

  • SPHPH720

Publications

  • Published on 9/21/2026

    Ettman CK, Galea IT, Abdalla SM. Assets and health across the lifecourse: a framework for supporting migrant populations. J Migr Health. 2026; 14:100445. PMID: 42903817.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 9/10/2026

    Galea S, Abdalla SM. A Case for a Purple Public Health. Am J Public Health. 2026 Nov; 116(11):1653-1654. PMID: 42721428.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 8/27/2026

    Abdalla SM, Pickerel M, Banda B, Fann E, Abba-Aji M, Galea S. Lifetime trauma, recent socioeconomic stressors, and cumulative PTSD prevalence: a multi-country population-based study. Psychiatry Res. 2026 Dec; 366:117424. PMID: 42731553.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 7/26/2026

    Abdalla SM, Pickerel M, Rosenberg SB, Banda BF, Ettman CK, Galea S. The prevalence and distribution of traumatic events and stressors: Insights from eight countries. J Trauma Stress. 2026 Oct; 39(5):934-949. PMID: 42504053.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 6/18/2026

    Abba-Aji M, Cohen G, Abdalla S, Wang R, Gradus J, Galea S. Understanding the impact of natural disasters on post-traumatic stress disorder and depression symptoms: An examination of counterfactual displacement scenarios. PLOS Ment Health. 2026; 3(6):e0000317. PMID: 42313810.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 2/23/2026

    Abdalla SM, Galea S. Embracing complexity and innovation to tackle the social determinants of health. BMJ Glob Health. 2026 Feb 23; 9(Suppl 1). PMID: 41730562.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 2/5/2026

    Abdalla SM, Banda B, Pickerel M, Rosenberg SB, Sharma S, Galea S. Loneliness, depression, and generalized anxiety across eight countries. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2026 May; 61(5):909-924. PMID: 41644667.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 8/11/2025

    Pugach CP, Reuben A, Moreland AD, Rothbaum AO, Boyle J, Schmidt MG, Dayton J, Kinder R, Galea S, Abdalla S, Abba-Aji M, Kilpatrick DG. Prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder and major depression in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia 9 months after the East Palestine train derailment. J Trauma Stress. 2025 Dec; 38(6):1032-1044. PMID: 40790950.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 5/10/2025

    Tutlam NT, Buom N, Kizito S, Abdalla S. Triple crisis among refugee youth resettled in high-income countries. Lancet. 2025 May 10; 405(10490):1661-1662. PMID: 40348450.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 3/21/2025

    Rancher C, Moreland AD, Galea S, Davies F, Bottomley J, Abba-Aji M, Abdalla SM, Kilpatrick DG. Corrigendum to "Awareness and use of support services following mass violence incidents" [J. Psychiat. Res. 180 (2024) 79-85]. J Psychiatr Res. 2025 Apr; 184:446. PMID: 40117787.

     Read At: PubMed

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