Overview
Syamak Moattari has spent over two decades working at the intersection of public health, medicine, and education, with a career spanning clinical practice, global health consulting, environmental advocacy, and higher education in the United States, and beyond. He earned his medical degree from Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Tehran and later completed a Doctor of Public Health in International Health at Boston University, focusing his dissertation on community-based approaches to preventing road traffic injuries. Early in his career, he provided primary and preventive care in rural and urban clinics, led harm-reduction and prevention programs for at-risk populations, and co-founded an environmental grassroots organization that grew to thousands of members and earned international recognition through partnerships with the UN and global conservation bodies.
For the past decade, his work has centered on teaching and mentoring students in public health, global health, and health equity, while building a research portfolio spanning COVID-19 mortality modeling, environmental epidemiology, food insecurity, and HIV disparities. He has increasingly focused on how artificial intelligence intersects with teaching, learning, and public health practice, developing AI-supported classroom tools and presenting on responsible AI use to national audiences. Now he is focused on Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. His service extends to institutional governance, international partnerships, and nonprofit leadership, reflecting a consistent commitment to community-engaged, equity-centered work across borders and disciplines.
Keywords
Community-based participatory research, global health, health equity, AI in education, AI in public health, health disparities, belonging in higher education
Selected Publications
Moattari, S., & Mohit, B. (2023). Healthcare institutions and systems (Chapter 99). In A. E. M. Eltorai, T. Liu, R. Chand, & S. P. Kalva (Eds.), Translational interventional radiology (1st ed.). Academic Press.
Motallebi, S., Cheung, R. C. Y., Mohit, B., Shahabi, S., Tabriz, A. A., & Moattari, S. (2022). Modeling COVID-19 mortality across 44 countries: Face covering may reduce death. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 62(4), 483–491. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2021.09.019
Maghbooli, Z., Hossein-Nezhad, A., Ramezani, M., & Moattari, S. (2017). Epigenetic alterations and exposure to air pollutants: Protocol for a birth cohort study to evaluate the association between adverse birth outcomes and global DNA methylation. JMIR Research Protocols, 6(2), e29. https://doi.org/10.2196/resprot.7114
Feizabad, E., Hossein-Nezhad, A., Maghbooli, Z., Ramezani, M., Hashemian, R., & Moattari, S. (2017). Impact of air pollution on vitamin D deficiency and bone health in adolescents. Archives of Osteoporosis, 12(1), 34. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11657-017-0323-6
Honors and Awards
2026 – Invited Fellow, Community-Engaged Teaching Fellows Program, Northeastern University (jointly developed by the John Martinson Honors Program and Community-Engaged Teaching & Research)
2025 Recognized as Honorary Clinical Instructor, Walden University
2023 Article of the Year (2022), American Journal of Preventive Medicine (AJPM)
2019 George I. Alden Excellence in Teaching Award, Worcester State University
2019 Course of Distinction Award, Massachusetts Colleges Online (MCO)
2018 Extraordinary Dedication Award, Worcester State University
Service and Leadership
Vice President, North American Community: Uniting for Equity (NAC:UE) – National 501(c)(3) organization
Vice Chair of Strategic Advocacy, Northeastern University Professional Affinity Community (NUPAC)
Member, Faculty Advisory Board, John Martinson Honors Program, Northeastern University
Member, American Public Health Association
Member, New England Educational Assessment Network
Areas of Expertise
Health equity & social determinants of health, Environmental & climate health, Curriculum design & inclusive pedagogy, Global health policy & NGO leadership, Clinical/primary care medicine
Teaching/Research Focus
Public/global health education and AI integration in public health
Courses Taught
- HLTH 1270 (Global Health)
- PHTH 2350 (Community & Public Health)
- PHTH 2351 (Community & Public Health, DOC Course)
- PHTH 4120 (Global Perspectives on Discrimination and Health)
- PHTH 5120 (Race, Ethnicity, and Health in the US)
- PHTH 5212 (Public Health Policy & Administration)
- PHTH 5226 (Strategic Management & Leadership in Healthcare)
- PHTH 5230 (Global Health)
