Sally Abou Melhem, communications@aub.edu.lb
AUB's Dr. Samer Kharroubi, associate professor in biostatistics received the first Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMIC) Health Economics and Outcomes Research Excellence Award from ISPOR, the leading global scientific and educational organization for health economics and outcomes research and the largest society in the field.
The ISPOR LMIC Health Economics and Outcomes Research Excellence Award recognizes individuals with demonstrated outstanding research achievements in the area of health economics and outcomes research in LMICs (as defined by the World Bank). More specifically, it recognizes individuals who show evidence of research excellence and significant research contributions in the field, and whose body of technical and scholarly work has an impact on healthcare decision making or health outcomes in LMICs. This research award, which may only be received once in a lifetime, is considered extremely competitive, given the awardee is selected from a huge pool of academicians, decision makers, industry professionals, economists, researchers, and many others in LMICs.
“I am honored and humbled to have won the ISPOR Low and Middle-Income Countries Health Economics and Outcomes Research Excellence Award. The fact that my scholarly research achievements have been recognized internationally by ISPOR, the leading global scientific and educational organization for health economics and outcomes research, instills the confidence in me to work with the best of my abilities to make AUB proud," commented Dr. Kharroubi. “I am forever indebted to my colleagues in FAFS at AUB and to my long-standing collaborators in the School of Health and Related Research at the University of Sheffield, UK. Their earnest support and continuous encouragement have been and will always be a significant factor in my development, and for that I am truly thankful."
About the awardee
Dr. Samer Kharroubi obtained his MSc and PhD in statistics from the University of Westminster and the University of Surrey respectively, both in the UK. He also received another MSc in health sciences (cancer epidemiology) from the University of York in the UK.
Dr. Kharroubi is currently a tenured associate professor of biostatistics and the director of the Statistics Support Clinic in the Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences at AUB. He is also an honorary reader of medical statistics in the School of Health and Related Research at the University of Sheffield, UK. Further, he is a chartered statistician, which is a qualification administered by the Royal Statistical Society in the UK in recognition of Dr. Kharroubi's expertise as a professional and practicing statistician.
His research and academic career started as post-doctoral research associate with full primary investigator status, in the Centre for Bayesian Statistics in Health Economics at the University of Sheffield (2002-2005). In 2006, he moved to the University of York as lecturer (equivalent to assistant professor) in statistics. He became senior lecturer in 2011 (associate professor) and moved to AUB in 2016.
Dr. Kharroubi's research is in the theory and applications of “Bayesian Statistics." On the methodological side, his main research area is in the computational aspects of Bayesian statistics and in Bayesian modelling generally. On the application side, his most significant research advances are in the application of Bayesian statistics in health economics. He has also been involved in many applications areas, particularly in medicine, nutrition and food sciences, public health, and in general health-related research.
Dr. Kharroubi will be recognized for his award during the virtual ISPOR awards ceremony on Tuesday, December 7, 2021 at 10:00-11:00am EST.
For more details on the award, nomination process and selection criteria, please click here