HomeCollegesCollegesCollege of Natural and Health SciencesFaculty And StaffProfilesDr. Heba Barazi
Assistant Professor

B. S. Medical Technology, George Washington University, Washington DC, USA

Ph.D. Molecular Biology and Genetics, George Washington University, Washington DC, USA

Post Doc. Molecular basis of cell motility, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD, USA

Bio

Dr. Barazi teaches basic science courses within the Department of Natural Sciences and Public Health where she has spearheaded the implementation of mobile technology to increase student learning. She is actively engaged in scholarly research in Education to evaluate the effectiveness of educational technology and identify opportunities for leveraging resources to improve student engagements and learning.

Prior to joining ZU, Dr. Barazi spent over 14 years working in the pharmaceutical industry managing drug development programs in cancer and cystic fibrosis. This experience drives her to focus on research with direct potential for translation into a health impact. In her current health science research at ZU, she is engaged in two of the major health problems in the UAE, Smoking and Diabetes.

Google Scholar Profile

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY:

Academic Experience

Adjunct Professor 2012-2013

Assistant Professor 2014-Present

College of Sustainability Science and Humanities, Department of Natural Science and Public Health, Zayed University, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Non-Academic Professional Experience

Senior Research Public Health Analyst 2014

Research Triangle International, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA       

Research & Development Senior Project Manager 2007-2011

SAIC Frederick, Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnostics, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Rockville, MD

The NCI Experimental Therapeutics Program (NExT), a Pharmaceutical Discovery and Development Pipeline for Oncology            

Research & Development Senior Project Manager 2005-2007

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics, Inc., Bethesda, MD

The not-for-profit drug discovery and development arm of Cystic Fibrosis Foundation      

Consultant and Founder 2004-2005

HB Consulting, Dunn Loring, VA

Consulting service targeting the biotechnology industry

 
Office

Abu Dhabi - Khalifa City, FF1-1-035

Phone:

+971-2-599 3285

Email:
Teaching Areas

Biology

Microbiology

Nature of Science

Food Safety

Research and Professional Activities

1. Tobacco Control
Tobacco use continues to be the leading global cause of preventable death. It usually starts in adolescence and progresses to full dependence in about one in three who starts the habit at this age. Understanding risk factors and attitudes towards smoking will help tailor prevention approaches. We are investigating attitudes, risk and protective factors and prevalence of smoking among Emirates and evaluating the specific cultural and religious factors that underlie the problem. This knowledge base will contribute to the implementation of tailored prevention approaches to this group.
 
2. Diabetes
Diabetes is a major health burden in the UAE. Nutrition based weight management, as opposed to drug or surgery based therapeutics, remain the first line of treatment. In particular, ketogenic diets have been shown to be especially effective in Diabetics, likely mediated by decreased stimulation of insulin release when on a relatively low carbohydrate diet. We are investigating the efficacy of ketogenic diets in Emirate Nationals by evaluating uptake, success and palatability and identify cultural barriers.
 
3. Education research
Technology in the classroom is believed to empower student learning by changing the classroom environment from a teacher-centric to student-centric learning environment.
We are creating various models and recipes for using technology in the classroom and investigating their impact on student success

 

MEMBERSHIP OF SCIENTIFIC AND PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES: 

 

Member of the UAE Tobacco Control Research Collaborative

 

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:

  1. Barazi, H. & Wikkeling Scott, L. (2016).  Prevalence and Attitude Toward Smoking Among College Female Students at Zayed University, United Arab Emirates, In preparation

  2. Barazi, H. & Tan, J. (2016). Pedagogical opportunities of the iPad. In preparation

  3. Barazi, H & Tan, J. (2016). Enhance learning of biological terms. Recipes for the wireless classroom: Mobile Learning Activities. TESOL Arabia Publications.

  4. Torres-Cabala, C., Bibbo, M., Panizo, A., Barazi, H. O., Krutxsch, H. C., Roberts, D. D., Merino, M. J Proteomic identification of new biomarkers and application in thyroid cytology. Acta Cytol. 2006 Sep-Oct;50(5):518-28

  5. Torres-Cabala, C., Panizo, A., Krutxsch, H. C., Barazi, H. O., Roberts, D. D., Merino, M. J. Differential expression of S100C in thyroid lesions. Int J Surg Pathol, 12(2):107-15 (2004)

  6. Barazi, H. O., Li, Z., Cashel, J., Mosher, D. F., and Roberts, D. D. Regulation of integrin Function by CD47 ligands is both cell- and integrin-specific: differential effects on αvβ3 and α4β1 integrin-mediated adhesion. J Biol Chem, 277:42859-66 (2002).

  7. Barazi, H. O., Zhou, L., Templeton, N. S., Krutzsch, H. C., and Roberts, D. D. Identification of heat shock protein 60 as a molecular mediator of alpha 3 beta 1 integrin activation. Cancer Res, 62: 1541-8 (2002).

  8. Elkashef, A. M., Al-Barazi, H., Venable, D., Baker, I., Hill, J., Apud, J., and Wyatt, R. J. Dopamine effect on the mitochondria potential in B lymphocytes of schizophrenic patients and normal controls. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry, 26: 145-8 (2002).

  9. Chandrasekaran, L., He, C. Z., Al-Barazi, H., Krutzsch, H. C., Iruela-Arispe, M. L., and Roberts, D. D. Cell Contact-dependent Activation of α3β1 Integrin Modulates Endothelial Cell Responses to Thrombospondin-1. Mol Biol Cell, 11: 2885-2900, 2000.        

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