Amal K. Mitra, M.B.B.S., D.I.H., M.P.H., Dr.P.H.

Professor

Concentration: Epidemiology
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Contact

350 W. Woodrow Wilson Drive, Suite 216
Jackson, MS 39213-7681
Office Phone: 601-979-8788
Email: amal.k.mitra@jsums.edu
P.O. Box 17067 (JSU Campus Mail Only)


Education
8/93 – 1/97	The University of Alabama at Birmingham; Doctor of Public Health (Dr.P.H.); major: Public Health; other courses: epidemiology, biostatistics-I, biostatistics-II, environmental health, public health nutrition, public health policy, health economics, public health law; GPA 3.91.
9/92 – 8/93	The University of Alabama at Birmingham; Master of Public Health (M.P.H) major: Public Health, GPA 4.0
7/80 – 6/81	The National Institute of Preventive and Social Medicine, The University of Dhaka, Bangladesh; Master-level Diploma in Industrial Hygiene (D.I.H.); major courses: occupational health, industrial hygiene and toxicology; stood second position in order of merit.
12/72 – 12/78	Dhaka Medical College, The University of Dhaka, Bangladesh; Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (M.B.B.S.), major courses: medicine, surgery, paediatrics, obstetrics & gynaecology; GPA 3.67.

Research/Professional Interests Global Health; Lead Poisoning; Epigenetics of Heart Disease; Vitamin D in hypertension, heart disease and diabetes.
Positions
01/17 –	Full Professor of Epidemiology (tenured), Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Jackson State University, Jackson, Mississippi.
04/13 – 01/17	Full Professor of Public Health, Department of Community Medicine & Behavioural Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, Kuwait.
08/04 – 12/13	Full Professor of Epidemiology & Biostatistics (tenured), Department of Public Health, The University of Southern Mississippi (USM), Hattiesburg, MS.
7/01 – 7/04	Associate Professor, Center for Community Health, USM, Hattiesburg, MS.
8/97 – 6/01	Assistant Professor, Center for Community Health, USM, Hattiesburg, MS.
2/97 – 7/97	Research Associate, Division of Internal Medicine, Saint Louis University.
6/91 – 2/97	Associate Scientist, Clinical Sciences Division, The International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B).
8/88 – 6/91	Senior Medical Officer, the ICDDR,B hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
2/85 – 8/88	Training Physician, Epidemic Control Preparedness Program, ICDDR,B, Dhaka.
12/81 – 2/85	Medical Officer at a community-based hospital ICDDR,B, Matlab field station.
1/80 – 12/81	Medical Officer at a primary health care setting under the Ministry of Health, Government of Bangladesh.
1/79 – 1/80	Assistant Surgeon, the Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Bangladesh.
Hornors/Awards
2014	Dr. Nael Al-Naqeeb (President) Award for Distinguished Undergraduate Research, Kuwait University
2014	Lifetime Achievement Award, University of Southern Mississippi (USM)
2012	HEADAWE Award winner
2011	Mississippi’s Health Care Hero 2011
2009	Rotary Grants for University Teachers, Rotary International
2007	The Fulbright Scholar Award, US Department of State
2007	Sabbatical Award, USM
2007	Aubrey Lucus Award for Excellence in Service, College of Health, USM
2006	The Outstanding Faculty Service Award, College of Health, USM
2004	Innovation Award for Applied Research, USM
2002	Summer Faculty Research Grant, USM
2001	The Higher Education Appreciation Day, Working for Academic Excellence (HEADWAE) Award nomination
2001	The University Research, Scholarly and Creative Activity Award, USM nomination
2000	Distinguished Teaching Award, College of Health and Human Sciences, USM
1999	Distinguished Faculty Researcher Award, College of Health and Human Sciences, USM
1999	The Aubrey Keith and Ella Ginn Lucus Endowment for Faculty Excellence, USM
1999	Summer Grant for the Improvement of Instruction, USM
1997	Young Scientist Award from the American Society for Nutritional Sciences
1997	Young Investigator Bursary recipient from the International Congress of Nutrition, Montreal, Canada
1994	Honorary membership of the Delta Omega Public Health Society, Upsilon Chapter, for the academic excellence, scholarship quality, and contribution to public health
Grants (in last 10 years, out of $4.3 million)
7/17 –	Principal Investigator, Summer Mini Grant on Implicit Bias. Jackson State University
9/10 – 6/11	Principal Investigator, Public health impact of Gulf oil spill: Assessment of the risk and health education, British Petroleum, $11,445
8/07 – 8/10	Principal Investigator, Prevention of lead poisoning among Bangladeshi children, The University of Southern Mississippi, $18,795.
9/09 – 12/10	Principal Investigator, National community-based lead outreach and training grant, EPA-OPPT-08-003, $215,887.
10/02 – 9/07	Principal investigator, Iron supplementation among low-income, postpartum women, CDC, $400,000.
10/01 – 9/05	Co-investigator, Breast cancer control: Needs and practices of African American women and their providers. The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation; $248,483.
Selected Publications
1.	Mitra AK, Mawson AR. Neglected tropical diseases: Epidemiology and global burden. Trop Med Infect Dis 2017, 2, 36, doi:10.3390/tropicalmed2030036.
2.	Mitra AK, Hussain M. Chapter 21. Bangladesh. In: Comparative Health Systems: A Global Perspective. 2nd Edition. Johnson J, Stoskopf C, Shi L (editors). Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC. 2018 (published in 2017).
3.	Maslamani M, Khalef M, Mitra AK. Association of quality of coronal filling with the outcome of endodontic treatment: A follow-up study. Dentistry Journal, 2017:5:5. DOI:10.3390/dj5010005.
4.	Mitra AK. Iron supplementation among low-income people: Evidence from randomized controlled trials. In: Handbook of nutrition and diet in leukemia and blood disease therapy. Eds: Watson RR, Mahadevan D. Wageningen Academic Publishers, The Netherlands, 2016.
5.	Bosakhar BY, Mesailekh ZA, Farhan SA, Arab DA, Tawheid NA, Ali NF, Mitra AK. Predictors of knowledge and attitude regarding organ donation in Kuwait. IMC J Med Sci 2016;10:1-9.
6.	Fadhi F, Amir Z, Qasim M, Ahmad L, Hashemi B, Armali D, Mitra AK. Knowledge, attitude, and self-use of complementary and alternative medicine among students of Health Sciences in Kuwait. Kuwait Med J. 2016;48:207-214.
7.	Darweesh F, Hendyani R, Shatti K, Abdullah A, Taqi M, Mitra AK. Knowledge, intention, practice, and perceived barriers of breastfeeding among married working women in Kuwait. Int J Comm Fam Med 2016;1:108, doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.15344/ijcfm/2016/108.
8.	Ashari LS, Mitra AK, Kek TL, Mitra A, Salleh MZ, Mohamed HJ. Prevalence and risk factors of metabolic syndrome among an endangered tribal population in Malaysia using harmonized IDF criteria. Int J Diabetes Dev Ctries 2016. DOI 10.1007/s13410-016-0487-4.
9.	Husain H, Al-Fadhli F, Al-Olaimi F, Al-Duraie A, Qureshi A, Al-Kandari W, Mitra AK. Is smoking shisha safer than cigarettes: Comparison of health effects of shisha and cigarette smoking among young adults in Kuwait. Med Princ Pract 2016;25:117-122. DOI:10.1159/000442417.
10.	Mitra AK. Water: The public health challenges. In: Sian Griffiths, Jin Ling Tang, EK Yeoh ed. Routledge Handbook of Global Public Health in Asia. Taylor & Francis, 2014.
11.	Hamid Jan JM, Mitra AK, Laila Ruwaida MZ, et al. Women are at a higher risk of metabolic syndrome in rural Malaysia. Women & Health 2013;53(4):335-348. DOI: 10.1080/03630242.2013.788120.
12.	Mitra AK, Khoury A. Universal iron supplementation: A simple and effective strategy to reduce anaemia among low-income, postpartum women. Public Health Nutrition 2012; 15(3): 546-553
13.	Mitra AK, Ahua E, Saha P. Prevalence and risk factors for lead poisoning among young children in Bangladesh. J Health Pop Nutr 2012;30(4):404-409.
14.	Hamid Jan JM, Mitra AK, Halib H, et al. Effect of gender and nutritional status on academic achievement and cognitive function among primary school children in a rural district in Malaysia. Mal J Nutr 2011;17(2):189-200.
15.	Mitra AK, Clarke K. Viral obesity: Fact or fiction? Obesity Rev 2010; 11:289-296.
16.	Hamid Jan JM, Mitra AK, Abdullah R, et al. Association of iron deficiency with or without anaemia and cognitive functions among primary school children in Malaysia. Mal J Nutr 2010;16(2):261-270.
17.	Mitra AK, Haque A, Islam M, Bashar SAM K. Lead poisoning: An alarming public health problem in Bangladesh. Int J Environ Res Pub Health 2009;6:84-95.
18.	Mitra AK, Faruque FS. Breast cancer incidence and exposure to environmental chemicals in 82 counties in Mississippi. Southern Med J 2004;97(3):259-263.
19.	Mitra AK, Faruque FS, Avis AL. Breast cancer and environmental risks: Where is the link? J Environ Health 2004;66:24-32.
20.	Mitra AK. Breast feeding support from volunteer counselors does not increase rates of breast feeding. Evidence-based Healthcare 2004;8(4): 202-204.
21.	Mitra AK, Khoury AJ, Hinton AW, Carothers C. Predictors of breastfeeding intention among low-income women. Maternal Child Health J 2004;8(2):65-70.
22.	Das HK, Mitra AK, Sengupta PK, et al. Arsenic concentrations in rice, vegetables, and fish in Bangladesh: A preliminary study. Environ Int 2004;30:383-387.
23.	Bashar SK, Mitra AK. Effect of smoking on vitamin A, vitamin E, and other trace elements in patients with cardiovascular disease in Bangladesh: a cross-sectional study. Nutrition Journal 2004;3:18.
24.	Mitra AK, Khoury AJ, Carothers C, Foretich C. The Loving Support breastfeeding campaign: Awareness and practices of health care providers in Mississippi. J Obs Gyn Neonatal Nursing 2003;32:753-760.
25.	Mitra AK, Khoury AJ, Carothers C, Foretich C. Evaluation of a comprehensive Loving Support Program among state Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program breast-feeding coordinators. Southern Med J 2003;96:168-171.
26.	Mitra AK, Bose BK, Kabir H, Das BK, Hussain M. Arsenic-related health problems among hospital patients in southern Bangladesh. J Health Pop Nutr 2002;20:198-204.
27.	Khoury AJ, Hinton A, Mitra AK, Carothers C, Foretich C. Improving breastfeeding knowledge, attitudes, and practices of WIC clinic staff. Public Health Reports 2002;117:453-462.
28.	Khoury AJ, Mitra AK, Hinton A, Carothers C, Sheil H. An innovative video succeeds in addressing barriers to breastfeeding among low-income women. J Hum Lact 2002;18(2):125-131.

Return to Personnel