Biopsychosocial Perspectives on Arab Americans: Culture, Development, and Health

About

Sylvia C. Nassar PhD is Professor of Counselor Education at North Carolina State University. Her predominant areas of focus over the past decades have included ethnic gender and career development and the intersection thereof. A consistent thread has been her commitment to communities of Arab descent ensuring that their voices are heard within dominant discourses of diversity equity inclusion and justice. Dr. Nassar was one of the co-authors of the Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies and many of her current initiatives apply the MSJCC across a variety of contexts through which she increasingly connects her ethical practice research and policy efforts.   Kristine J. Ajrouch PhD is Professor of Sociology at Eastern Michigan University and Adjunct Research Professor at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. Her research has focused for over twenty years on Arab Americans beginning with ethnic identity formation among adolescent children of immigrants followed by a focus on aging and health.  Dr. Ajrouchs current work addresses social aspects of Alzheimers disease (AD) where she is leading efforts to establish prevalence levels of AD among Arab Americans as well as adapt an AD caregiver intervention program to meet the needs of Arab American families.      Florence J. Dallo PhD MPH is professor and associate dean of the School of Health Sciences at Oakland University in Rochester MI. Since 1996 she has used national regional state hospital and community data to better understand and improve the health of the Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) in Michigan and beyond. Given that MENA individuals do not have their own racial or ethnic check-box Professor Dallo has matched a MENA surname list with data bases to obtain more valid and reliable estimates of health conditions and behaviors than would be available otherwise.   Julie Hakim-Larson Ph.D. obtained her doctorate in life-span developmental psychology from Wayne State University in 1984 and postdoctoral training in Clinical Child Psychology. She has been on the faculty of the University of Windsor since 1991 and is a Professor of Clinical Psychology (Child Track). Her interests include emotional development developmental psychopathology the history of psychology and mental health and culture.  Dr. Hakim-Larsons research interest has focused on the mental health and overall well-being of individuals and families of Arab and Middle Eastern origin. In 2013 Dr. Hakim-Larson organized an international study group on Arab youth identity funded by the Society for Research in Child Development and collaborated in organizing an international symposium on Arab youth identity funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.  Dr. Hakim-Larsons publications and current research interests include culture and emotional development within a global perspective emotion in families Arab ethnic identity in North America and the promotion of mental health in Arab immigrants and refugees.