School of Public Health

Dr. Shafik Dharamsi

Professor and Dean

Dr. Dharamsi Edit
Dr. Shafik Dharamsi


Education & Experience:
I completed my PhD in interdisciplinary studies at The University of British Columbia (UBC). Prior to my academic career, I served as the Regional Director of a transformational early childhood development and poverty alleviation program with the Aga Khan Development Network in East Africa. I established my academic career at UBC, earning tenure in the department of family medicine. I also helped lead the Center for International Health and served as Research Director of the St. Paul’s Family Medicine Residency Site. A sabbatical from UBC in 2015 allowed me to help establish a new School of Osteopathic Medicine at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio. I was subsequently recruited to serve as Dean of the College of Health Sciences at The University of Texas at El Paso, which houses several accredited health professional programs, including Public Health. Most recently, I served as Senior Advisor to the Provost on transdisciplinary initiatives at New Mexico State University, and as visiting professor at the Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine to help develop the Mission Medicine initiative designed to provide experiential learning opportunities for medical students while engaging community partners and helping develop solutions to meet community-identified needs.

Teaching Areas & Public Health Interests:
I have over 25 years of experience establishing public health education, research and community development initiatives designed to improve health outcomes around the world. I have led the development and implementation of curriculum in the areas of global health, ethics, community-engagement, health equity, advocacy and the social determinants of health. Using community-engaged learning activities, I endeavor to nurture social responsibility and inspire students’ hearts and minds to enhance the quality and conditions of life in the communities they will serve.

Professional Activities & Awards:
I have served on several national and international boards and have been recognized internationally for my work in the areas of ethical global engagement and advancing social accountability and health advocacy through transformative approaches to health professions education.

Scholarly Interests:
My research is at the intersection of global health equity, social epidemiology, social determinants, ethics, and health professions education. I am particularly interested in transformative learning and high-impact educational practices in relation to the question of how to better educate the next generation of health professionals to be responsive to health inequities and the social determinants of health, and to take an inclusive, diverse, and community-centric approach to addressing these challenges.


Link to Dr. Dharamsi’s Curriculum Vitae:

Link to Dr. Dharamsi’s’ University Profile: