Qais Alemi, PhD, MPH, MBA

Associate Professor, Social Work and Social Ecology

Contact Information

Email qalemi@llu.edu
Phone 909-379-7592
Fax 909-379-7594

Department of Social Work and Social Ecology, Office 202C
Loma Linda University
1898 Business Center Dr., San Bernardino, CA  92408

Degrees and Certifications

  • PhD, Social Policy and Social Research - Loma Linda University, 2013
  • MBA, Health Care Administration - Loma Linda University, 2008
  • MPH, Global Health - Loma Linda University, 2006
  • Certificate of Humanitarian Assistance - Loma Linda University, 2006

Areas of Specialization

  • Psychosocial needs of populations affected by political violence
  • Stigma, prejudice, racial, and religious discrimination
  • Immigrant and refugee acculturation, adjustment, identity, and resiliency
  • Mental health help-seeking behaviors

Recent Publications and Presentations

Publications

  • Alemi, Q., Mefom, E., Montgomery. S., Koga, P.M. Acculturative stress, stigma, and mental health challenges: emic perspectives from Somali young adults in San Diego county's 'Little Mogadishu'. Ethnicity & Health. https://doi.org/10.1080/13557858.2021.1910930.
  • Fisher, C., Ortiz, L., Alemi, Q., & Malika, N. (2020). Congregations serving homeless populations: examining predictive factors and policy implications. Social Work Research. https://doi.org/10.1093/swr/svaa016.
  • Alemi, Q., Stempel, C., Shabaik, H., & Kim. (2020). Refugees and COVID-19: achieving a comprehensive public health response. Bulletin of the World Health Organization. http://dx.doi.org/10.2471/BLT.20.271080.
  • Alemi, Q., Stempel, C., & Montgomery, S. (2020). Prevalence and social determinants of tobacco use in Afghanistan. International Health. DOI: 10.1093/inthealth/ihaa010.
  • Siddiq Shabaik, H., Pavlish, C., Alemi, Q., & Lee, E. (2020). Beyond Resettlement: Sociocultural Factors Influencing Breast and Colorectal Cancer Screening among Afghan Refugee Women. Journal of Cancer Education. DOI: 10.1007/s13187-020-01822-1.
  • Siddiq, H., Alemi, Q., Mentes, J. Pavlish, C., & Lee, E. (2020). Preventive cancer screening among resettled refugee women from Muslim-majority countries: a systematic review. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health. doi:10.1007/s10903-019-00967-6.
  • Alemi, Q., & Stempel, C. (2019). Effect of HIV knowledge on reducing stigmatizing attitudes towards PLHIV in Afghanistan. Findings from the 2015 Afghanistan Demographic and Health Survey. International Health. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/inthealth/ihz013.
  • Alemi, Q., Montgomery, S., Smith, V., Stempel, C., Koga, P.M., Taylor, B., & Fisher, C. (2018). Examining help-seeking patterns within modern and traditional resources for support in Afghanistan. Intervention, 16(3), 215-221.
  • Alemi, Q., Smith, V., Montgomery, S., & Stempel, C. (2018). What’s keeping some from seeking asylum? A field report exploring determinants and implications for fostering a social contract for young people in Afghanistan. Journal of International Development. DOI: 10.1002/jid.3401.
  • Baek, K. Mann, S. K., Alemi, Q., et al. (2018). Impact of heart disease risk factors, respiratory illness, mastery, and quality of life on the health status of individuals living near a major railyard in Southern California. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15(2), 2765.
  • Alemi, Q., & Stempel, C. (2018). Discrimination and distress among Afghan refugees in northern California: The moderating role of pre-and post-migration factors. PloS ONE, 13(5), e0196822.
  • Alemi, Q., Montgomery, S., & Stempel. (2018). A qualitative study exploring the psychosocial needs of undocumented Afghan migrants in Istanbul, Turkey. Societies, 8(2), 22.
  • Alemi, Q., Stempel, C., Koga, P.M., et al. (2018). Risk and protective factors associated with the mental health of young adults in Kabul, Afghanistan. BMC Psychiatry, 18(71).
  • Stempel, C. & Alemi, Q. (2018). Economic integration of Afghan refugees in the US, 1980–2015. WIDER Working Paper 2018/49. Helsinki: UNU-WIDER.
  • Alemi, Q., Siddiq, H., Baek, K., Sana, H., Stempel, C., Aziz, N., & Montgomery, S. (2017). Effect of perceived discrimination on depressive symptoms in 1st- and 2nd-generation Afghan-Americans. The Journal of Primary Prevention, 1–14.
  • Alemi, Q., Stempel, C., Koga, P. M., Smith, V., Danis, D., Baek, K., & Montgomery, S. (2017). Determinants of health care services utilization among first generation Afghan migrants in Istanbul. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(2), 201.
  • Alemi, Q., et al. (2016). Impact of post-migration living difficulties on the mental health of Afghan migrants residing in Istanbul. International Journal of Population Research. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/7690697.
  • Alemi, Q., Weller, S.C., James, S., & Montgomery, S. (2016). Afghan refugee explanatory model of depression: exploring core cultural beliefs and gender variations. Medical Anthropology Quarterly, doi: 10.1111/maq.12296
  • Alemi, Q., James, S., & Montgomery, S. (2016). Contextualizing Afghan refugee views of depression through narratives of trauma, resettlement stress, and coping. Transcultural Psychiatry, 56(5), 630–653.

Presentations

  • Stempel, C., & Alemi, Q. (2020). White identities and political positions: in-group favoritism or animus towards racial outgroups? Pacific Sociological Association. Eugene, OR.
  • Alemi, Q. (2019, December). Towards effective tobacco control policy in Afghanistan: insights from the 2015 Demographic and Health Survey. Institute for Health Policy & Leadership, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA.
  • Alemi, Q. (2019, July). Discrimination and distress among Afghan refugees in northern California: The moderating role of pre-and post-migration factors. Ulysses Refuge Symposium, University of California Davis, Davis, CA.
  • Baek, K., Mann, S. K., Alemi, Q., et al. (2019, November). Factors that impact the mental health of Korean American church leaders in southern California. Poster presented at the meeting of the 147th Annual American Public Health Association Conference, Philadelphia, PA.
  • Malika, N., Alemi, Q., Montgomery, S., Ortiz, L., & Belliard, J.C. (2019, November). Effect of sleep on severe mental distress as moderated by discrimination, safety and bullying: a cross-sectional study of adolescents in a low-income minority school district. 147th Annual American Public Health Association (APHA) conference, Philadelphia, PA.
  • Shabaik, H., Lee, E., Pavlish, C., Alemi, Q., & Mentes, J. (2018, November). Perceptions of cancer, screening and prevention among Afghan refugee women. Paper presented at the 146th Annual American Public Health Association (APHA) conference, San Diego, CA.

Community Engagement

  • Learning Outcomes Committee, Loma Linda University (2017-present)
  • Institutional Review Board, Loma Linda University (2014-present)