Ajmal Sabawoon, MD, MPH
- Associate Research Scientist in the Department of Epidemiology
Overview
He laid the groundwork to establish the integrated biological and behavioral surveillance (IBBS) and monitoring and evaluation framework for the national AIDS control Program in Afghanistan. He had a key role in the development of the faculty of public health in the Kabul University of Medical Sciences and institutionalize the research behavior at the University. Most recently he initiated to design a first ever national mental health survey in Afghanistan that was successfully completed in 2018. He was successfully implemented different studies in Afghanistan and contributed to inform policies. He also developed teaching materials for epidemiology, biostatistics, and research for students. Currently he focuses on evaluating the mental health and psychosocial needs of Afghans recently resettled in the United States and adverse childhood experiences at critical periods of development and resulting stress, trauma, and mental health among children in Afghanistan: 2017 and 2024.
Academic Appointments
- Associate Research Scientist in the Department of Epidemiology
Credentials & Experience
Education & Training
- MD, 1990 Kabul University of Medical Sciences, Kabul-Afghanistan
- PGD, 2001 Ministry of Public Health, Kabul-Afghanistan
- MPH, 2006 Faculty of Public Health, Mahidol University, Bangkok-Thailand
Committees, Societies, Councils
Member, Research Committee at Kabul University of Medical Sciences
Member, American Psychological Association
Member, Columbia University Psychiatry Epidemiology Training (PET) Seminar
Research
Principal Investigator, Evaluating the mental health and psychosocial needs of Afghans recently resettled in the United States
Research Interests
- Health of Migrants and Internally Displaced People
- HIV/AIDS
- Mental Health
- Psychiatry
- Reproductive and Perinatal Psychiatry
Selected Publications
Kovess-Masfety V, Frounfelker RL, Keyes K, Karam E, Sabawoon A, Sarwari BA, Husky M, Kaur N, Rousseau C. Education as a protective factor for mental health risks among youth living in highly dangerous regions in Afghanistan. Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health. 2023 Jan 23;17(1):12. doi: 10.1186/s13034-022-00548-w. PMID: 36691033. https://rdcu.be/c32Jl [Times cited*: 6]
Sabawoon A, Keyes KM, Karam E, Kovess-Masfety V. Associations between traumatic event experiences, psychiatric disorders, and suicidal behavior in the general population of Afghanistan: findings from Afghan National Mental Health Survey. Inj Epidemiol. 2022 Oct 6;9(1):31. doi: 10.1186/s40621-022-00403-8. PMID: 36203184; PMCID: PMC9535941. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9535941/pdf/40621_2022_Arti... [Times cited*: 9]
V. Kovess-Masfety, Katherine Keyes, Elie Karam, Ajmal Sabawoon and Bashir Ahmad Sarwari; A national survey on depressive and anxiety disorders in Afghanistan: A highly traumatized population, BMC Psychiatry, (2021) 21:314,
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-021-03273-4 [Times cited*: 71]
Viviane Kovess-Masfety, Elie Karam, Katherine Keyes, Ajmal Sabawoon, Bashir Ahmad Sarwari; Access to Care for Mental Health Problems in Afghanistan: A National Challenge, IJHPM, 2021, http://ijhpm.com doi10.34172/ijhpm.2021.46 [Times cited*: 16]
Ajmal S, Idris A, Ajmal B.; Factors Affecting Contraceptive Use and Unmet Need among Currently Married Women in Afghanistan: Further Analysis of the 2015 Afghanistan Demographic and Health Survey, J Glob Health Rep 2018; 2: e2018037. www.joghr.org doi: 10.29392/joghr.2.e2018037 [Times cited*: 29]