Elahe Nezami, Ph.D.

Roles

• Biography

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  Dr. Elahe Nezami is the founding director of the Miller School of Medicine’s Online Master of Public Health (MPH) program and a nationally and internationally recognized leader in interdisciplinary teaching, program development, and workforce-focused education. She centers her work on advancing innovative academic initiatives that bridge public health, medicine, business, technology, and practice, emphasizing adult learning, applied pedagogy, and real-world impact. Her teaching and program leadership are grounded in the belief that the future public health and healthcare workforce depends on creative, interdisciplinary education developed with industry and practice partners.
  
  With a deep commitment to advancing public and global health education, Dr. Nezami has established strategic academic and practice-based partnerships across the globe. Her work promotes cross-school collaboration and international engagement to enhance student learning, professional preparation, and institutional impact. She is widely recognized for developing forward-thinking educational programs that expand public understanding of critical public health and global health challenges while preparing learners to operate effectively in complex, multidisciplinary environments.
  
  Previously, Dr. Nezami served for 25 years as director of the Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Studies undergraduate program at the University of Southern California. During her tenure, she led the development and launch of multiple innovative and interdisciplinary degree programs, including the Master of Science in Global Medicine in 2008, the Global Health undergraduate program in 2010, and the Master of Electrical Engineering in Wireless Health Technology. She served as sole director of the first three programs and as co-director of the Wireless Health Technology program, as well as several interdisciplinary certificate programs developed in collaboration with the School of Cinematic Arts, the School of Communication, and the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences.
  
  Across institutions, Dr. Nezami has partnered with faculty from nursing, medicine, business, engineering, modern languages, and public health; healthcare system leaders and practitioners; and state health departments to co-design interdisciplinary curricula. Her recent work includes the development of practice-centered public health courses, collaborative biostatistics instruction, medical Spanish education for medical students, and interdisciplinary certificates co-created with healthcare leadership to address evolving workforce needs.
  
  Dr. Nezami currently serves as the North American regional director and vice president of the Asia-Pacific Academic Consortium for Public Health and is an active member of the Consortium of Universities for Global Health. She also serves on the ASPPH committee focused on advancing conversations around artificial intelligence and defining emerging AI competencies for public health education. She has served multiple times as faculty with the Harvard Macy Institute’s Program for Educators in Health Professions and remains dedicated to innovation in teaching, learning, and academic leadership.

• Education & Training

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  Education

  1994: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California

  PhD, Clinical Psychology

  1991: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California

  MA, Clinical Psychology

  1983: University of Houston , Clear Lake City, Houston, Texas

  MA, Clinical and Counseling Psychology

  1981: Assumption College, Worcester, Massachusetts

  BA, Psychology

  Post Graduate Training

  1997: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California

  Post-Doctoral Fellowship

• Honors & Awards

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• Research Interests

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  Dr. Nezami’s ongoing research examines global health education, effective integration of technology into pedagogy, spaced learning and its utility in improving learning outcomes, determinants of behavioral risk factors for chronic diseases, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases, and the examination of personality characteristics in relation to cardiovascular disease. Dr. Nezami received her M.A. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Houston and her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Southern California.

• Publications

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• Professional Activities

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