UM professor and AHEC Tobacco Program manager earns Fulbright

By Ingrid Vega….

Dr. Asma Siddiqi Aftab

The Florida Department of Health applauds the recent selection of Dr. Asma Siddiqi Aftab as a Fulbright scholar.

As part of this prestigious program, Dr. Aftab will introduce a comprehensive tobacco cessation and training curriculum program for undergraduate, graduate and faculty development audiences in two Pakistani universities — Dow University of Health Sciences and Aga Khan University.

As tobacco use declines around the world, usage of tobacco products in all its forms is on the rise in Pakistan. Dr. Aftab plans to travel to Pakistan in the spring of 2012.

As a research assistant professor with the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at the University of Miami, Dr. Aftab teaches undergraduate and graduate courses as well as conducts preventive medicine research. As program manager of the university’s Area Health Education Center  (AHEC) Program, which works in cooperation with the Florida Department of Health, she oversees the University of Miami’s tobacco training and cessation program in the medical school, residency programs and hospital system.

Dr. Aftab has appeared in a number of scholastic publications and has been recognized time and again by international organizations like World Health Organization (WHO).

“This is a remarkable achievement for Dr. Aftab and we wish her great success,” said Kim Berfield, deputy secretary of Policy and Advocacy for the Florida Department of Health. “This also illustrates the caliber of personnel we have working on tobacco control in Florida. We look forward to her return.”

The Fulbright U.S.-Pakistan Initiative seeks to improve mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of Pakistan through academic and cultural exchange. Due to a recent expansion of the Fulbright program with Pakistan, several new grant opportunities are available for U.S. scholars interested in visiting Pakistani universities during the 2012-13 academic year.

Tobacco Free Florida (TFF) is a statewide cessation and prevention campaign funded by Florida’s tobacco settlement fund. To learn about TFF and the state’s free quit smoking resources, visit www.tobaccofreeflorida.com.


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