Rima Afifi is a professor and Interim Head in the Department of Community and Behavioral Health, College of Public Health, University of Iowa; and adjunct professor at the Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut (AUB). Her research and practice falls into four broad categories: youth wellbeing, protective factors among youth, tobacco control, and intervention evaluation. She advocates for a focus on the social and structural determinants of well-being to promote inclusion, equity, and justice. Whenever possible, Rima uses methods of Community Based Participatory Research which give marginalized communities voice and opportunities for self determination; engages multiple disciplines to widen the perspectives on any issue, and emphasizes knowledge transfer of research to practice and policy. She has authored over 80 peer- reviewed publications; and has engaged in extensive professional practice in the Arab region. She is co-author of the 2016 Lancet Commission report on the Adolescent Health and Wellbeing, and contributed to the Arab Human Development Report on youth published in 2016.
