Salma Abdalla, a physician by training, studies how social, commercial, and economic policies shape population health. In particular, she studies how data can be used to inform decision-making to improve health outcomes, with a focus on noncommunicable diseases, in different contexts. She also studies the effects of trauma on population mental health. She is also the co-director of the Global Health Futures Innovation Research Network at WashU School of Public Health.

Abdalla’s work is grounded in systems science and uses methods such as epidemiological assessment, agent-based modeling, and policy impact evaluations. She has published over 90 scientific journal articles, co-authored eight reports and policy briefs, and co-authored nine book chapters. Her research has been funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Department of Justice, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Rockefeller Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the World Health Organization (WHO).   

Beyond scholarship, Abdalla has contributed to translational efforts. She was a co-author of the U.S. Surgeon General’s report in 2021 on community health and economic prosperity. She has been a member of working groups for the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, Brookings Institution 17 Rooms, Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) Alliance, WHO, Wilton Park, World Bank, and the World Economic Forum.

Areas of Focus:

  • Social, economic and commercial determinants of health
  • Population mental health
  • Data-driven policy making
  • Systems science
  • Global population health

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