Associate Professor and Chair HS

Bio

Dr. Dghaim has an interdisciplinary research activities in the areas of organometallic catalysis, environmental and analytical chemistry and public Health. Her PhD dissertation focused on the development of a novel sequential insertion of imine/CO into late metal-carbon bonds as a novel route towards the synthesis of polypeptides and other biologically relevant molecules. During her academic tenure at Zayed University, Dr. Dghaim participated in several international presentations and research publications related to the fields of chemistry, and environmental and public health. She participated in a research program that collected data on the health status and various environmental exposures of adolescents and children residing in the United Arab Emirates. Her current research is focused on environmental pollution, in particular, examining the chemical and microbial quality of water, soil and sediments.

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY:

• 2020- Present, Chair, Department of Public Health and Nutrition,

• 2001-current Associate Professor, Department of Natural Science and Public Health, Zayed University, Dubai, UAE

• Summer 2002‏‏ Visiting Scientist (Polymer Chemistry)

  • Laboratory of Professor Alan Hay, Chemistry Department, McGill University, Canada

• 2000-2001 Post-Doctoral Fellow (Organic Chemistry)

  • Chemistry Department, University of Montreal, Canada, Laboratory

• 1996-2000 Teaching Assistant, undergraduate organic/ general chemistry laboratory

  • Chemistry Department, McGill University, Canada

• 1995- 1996 Teaching Assistant, undergraduate general/ analytical chemistry laboratory

  • Chemistry Department, American University of Beirut, Lebanon

Office

Dubai Academic City, C-L1-045 & R-L1-058

Phone:

+971-4-402 1208

Email:

Teaching Areas

Organometallic and Organic Chemistry, Catalysis with applications in amino acid and peptide synthesis, Polymer Chemistry, and Environmental Chemistry.

Research and Professional Activities

• Development of new transition metal-catalyzed methodologies for enantioselective synthesis of non-proteinogenic Alpha-substituted Alpha-amino acids.

• Development of novel sequential insertion of imine/CO into late metal-carbon bonds as potential route towards polypeptides and other biologically relevant molecules.

• Theoretical, kinetic, and mechanistic studies of novel imine insertion into Pd-carbon bonds.

• Ring-Opening Polymerization of heterocycles (ex. THF) with palladium insertion catalysts as a multifunctional initiator.

• Factors Linked to tobacco Smoking among Adolescents who reside in the United Arab Emirates.

• Health Status and Environmental Exposure of Youth residing in the UAE.

• Chemical and microbial quality of treated wastewater in Dubai.

• Chemical and Microbial contamination of fresh herbs commonly consumed in the UAE.

• Quantification and identification of key bioactive compounds in selected medicinal herbal extracts.

MEMBERSHIP OF SCIENTIFIC AND PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES: 

American Chemical Society (ACS)

Google Scholar Profile

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:

• Rania Dghaim, Mona El Kouatly Kambris & Caroline Barakat (2020) How safe are school and bus environments? Parents’ perception of risks and hazards in the emirate of Dubai, Policy and Practice in Health and Safety, 18:2, 100-110, DOI: 10.1080/14773996.2020.1786993

• Al Sabbah, H., Alketbi, M., & Dghaim, R. (2019). Prevalence of Complications in Type 2 Diabetics in Dubai, UAE: A Cross-sectional Study . Arab Journal of Nutrition and Exercise (AJNE), 4(2). https://doi.org/10.18502/ajne.v4i2.5161

• M.A. Khan, R. Dghaim, H. R. Baksh, S.M. Faheem (2018). Microbial quality of treated wastewater used for irrigation of public parks in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Pollution Research. 37(3) 771-775.

• Siddiqua, A., Dghaim, R., & Barakat-Haddad, C. (2018). Socio-demographic Predictors of Tobacco Smoking among Expatriate and National Adolescents Residing in the UAE. Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal. 24 (3), 283-295

• Dghaim, R., Al Sabbah, H., Hassan, A., & Khan, M. A. (2017). Antibacterial effects and microbial quality of commonly consumed herbs in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. International Food Research Journal. 24 (6), 2677-2684.

• C Barakat-Haddad, R Dghaim, A Siddiqua, Factors linked to tobacco smoking among adolescents who reside in the United Arab Emirates. Journal of Emergency Medicine, Trauma and Acute Care. 2016 (2), 38.

• M Khan, R Dghaim. Microbial quality of treated wastewater used for irrigation of public parks in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. New Biotechnology, 2016, S55-S56

• Barakat-Haddad, C., Zhang, S., Siddiqua, A., & Dghaim, R. (2015). Air quality and respiratory health among adolescents from the United Arab Emirates. Journal of Environmental and Public Health, 2015, 1-13, doi: 10.1155/2015/284595.

• Dghaim, R., Al Khatib, S., Rasool, H., & Khan, M. A. (2015). Determination of Heavy Metals Concentration in Traditional Herbs Commonly Consumed in the United Arab Emirates. Journal of Environmental and Public Health, 2015, 1-6, doi: 10.1155/2015/973878.

• Barakat-Haddad, C. & Dghaim, R. (2015). Adolescent Health Risk Behaviors in a Migrant Population. In Jared A. Jaworski (Ed.), Advances in Sociology Research (pp. 1-27). Hauppauge, NY: Nova Publishers.

• AlAmimi, A.S.H., Khan, M. A., & Dghaim, R. (2014). Bacteriological Quality of Reclaimed Wastewater used for Irrigation of Public Parks in the United Arab Emirates. International Journal of Environmental Science and Development.5(3), 309-312

• Barakat-Haddad, C. & Dghaim, R. (2012). The Quest for Higher Socioeconomic Status and Adolescent Health Risk Behavior: Case Study from a Migrant Population in the United Arab Emirates. Socioeconomic Status and Health Implications. Nova Publishers: USA.

• Abu-Yousef, I. A., Gunasekar, C., Dghaim, R., Abdo, N., Kanan, S., Srinivasan Narasimhan (2011). Simplified HPLC Method for Identification of Gingerol and Mangiferin in Herbal Extracts. European Journal of Scientific Research, 66 (1), 21-28.

• Dhawan, R.; Dghaym, R. D.; Arndtsen, B. A. “Direct, Palladium-Catalyzed, Multicomponent Synthesis of b-lactams from Imines, Acid Chloride, and Carbon Monoxide” Org. lett. 2006, , 8, 3927

• Arndtsen, B. A.; Dghaym, R. D.; Dhawan, R. “1,3-Oxazolium-5-Oxides Or Their Alpha-Amidoketene Tautomers, Process Of Preparation And Uses Thereof”. CA Patent 2387644, 2003 application.

• Dhawan, R.; Dghaym, R. D.; Arndtsen, B. A. “The development of a Catalytic Synthesis of Münchnones: A Simple Four Component Coupling Approach to a-Amino Acid Derivatives” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2003, , 125, 1474.

• Dhawan, R.; Dghaym, R. D.; Arndtsen, B. A, “The Palladium Catalyzed Synthesis of Carboxylate-Substituted Imidazolines: A New Route Using Imines, Acid Chloride, and Carbon Monoxide”, in Catalysis of Organic Reactions, Morrell D., Ed.; Hockessin, Delware: USA, 2003, 89, 499-50.

• Dghaym, R. D.; Dhawan, R.; Arndtsen, B. A.“The Use of Carbon Monoxide and Imines as Peptide Derivative Synthons: A Facile Palladium-Catalyzed Synthesis of the a-amino acid derived Imidazolines”Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2001, 40, 3228.

• Dghaym, R. D.; Yaccato, K.; Arndtsen, B. A.“The Novel Insertion of Imines into a Late Metal-carbon s-Bond: Developing a Palladium-Mediated Route to Polypeptides” Organometallics, 1998, 17, 4.

• Lim, N. K.; Yaccato, K; Dghaym, R. D.; Arndtsen, B. A.“Ring-Opening Polymerization of Heterocycles with Palladium Insertion catalysts: Observation of a Multifunctional Polymerization Initiator” Organometallics, 1999, 18, 3958.