About Fawaz Mzayek

Fawaz Mzayek, MD, MPH, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Epidemiology. He earned an MD from the University of Aleppo School Of Medicine, in Aleppo, Syria, a Masters in Public Health and a PhD in epidemiology from Tulane University. He currently holds an adjunct position at Tulane University. Dr. Mzayek has extensive experience in the epidemiology of cardiovascular disease and its risk factors. He has been working with large datasets from longitudinal studies such as the Bogalusa Heart Study, the renowned longitudinal, community‐based study of the natural evolution of cardiovascular disease. Dr. Mzayek also has a strong background in drug development and pharmacology. His work focuses on study design and research methods, and he has extensive experience in the conduct and analysis of clinical trials. Other areas of research interest include tobacco control and diabetes.

Education

• MD, University of Aleppo Medical School, Syria
• MPH, International Health, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans
• PhD, Epidemiology, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans .

Research Interests

• Cardiovascular risk factors epidemiology
• Tobacco control

Selected Publications

1. Madondo E, Mudagowa P, Mukhopadhyay A, Bartelli D, Jiang Y, Mzayek F. (2025). "Association between weight-adjusted waist-index and symptoms of sleep apnea in US adults: results from 2015–2018 national health and nutrition examination survey." Sleep Science and Practice 9(1): 1. DOI: 10.1186/s41606-024-00121-8.
2. Grant CC*, Mzayek F*, Mamudu HM, Surbhi S, Kabir U, Bailey JE. Building Statewide Quality Improvement Capacity to Improve Cardiovascular Care and Health Equity: Lessons from the Tennessee Heart Health Network. Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf. 2024 Jul;50(7):533-541. doi: 10.1016/j.jcjq.2024.02.009. Epub 2024 Feb 28. PMID: 38555226.
3. Shukr B, Bartelli D, Ward KD, Ray M, Maziak W, Mzayek F. The effect of exposure to tobacco smoking-related media messages on youths’ smoking behavior in Jordan: A longitudinal, school-based study. Prev Med. 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2022.107386.
4. Kheirallah KA, Al-Zureikat SH, Al-Mistarehi AH, Alsulaiman JW, AlQudah M, Khassawneh AH, Lorettu L, Bellizzi S, Mzayek F, Elbarazi I, Serlin IA. The Association of Conflict-Related Trauma with Markers of Mental Health Among Syrian Refugee Women: The Role of Social Support and Post-Traumatic Growth. Int J Womens Health. 2022;14:1251-1266. doi: 10.2147/IJWH.S360465. PMID: 36092127; PMCID: PMC9462433.
5. Rui Luo, Hongmei Zhang, Nandini Mukherjee, Wilfried Karmaus, Veeresh Patil, Hasan Arshad, & Fawaz Mzayek. Epigenomics. 2021. PMCID: PMC8503801. DOI: 10.2217/epi-2020-0433
6. Mzayek F, Wang L, Relyea G, Yu X, Terry JG, Carr J, et al. Impact of Abdominal Obesity on Proximal and Distal Aorta Wall Thickness in African Americans: The Jackson Heart Study. Obesity, 2019;27:1527-32. DOI.org/10.1002/oby.22563.
7. Mzayek F, Cruickshank JK, Amoah D, Srinivasan S, Chen W, Berenson GS. Birth weight was longitudinally associated with cardiometabolic risk markers in mid-adulthood. Ann Epidemiol, 2016;26:643-7. doi: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2016.07.013.
8. Mzayek F, Khader Y, Eissenberg T, Al Ali R, Ward KD, Maziak W, MD. Patterns of Water-Pipe and Cigarette Smoking Initiation in Schoolchildren: Irbid Longitudinal Smoking Study. Nicotine Tob Res 2011;14:448-54. doi: 10.1093/ntr/ntr234.
9. Mzayek F, Hassig S, Sherwin R, Hughes J, Chen W, Srinivasan S, Berenson G. The Relationship of Birth Weight with the Developmental Trends of Blood Pressure from Childhood through Mid-adulthood. The Bogalusa Heart Study. Am J Epidemiol 2007;166:413–20.
10. Mzayek F, Deng H, Mather FJ, Wasilevich EC, Liu H, et al. Randomized dose-ranging controlled trial of AQ-13, a candidate antimalarial, and chloroquine in healthy volunteers. PLOS Clinical Trials. 2007;2: e6.