Draft:Sunita Dodani

Dr. Sunita Dodani MD, MS, PhD

Sunita Dodani is an American physician and epidemiologist. She is a Professor of Medicine and the Founding Director of the Center 4 Health Research (C4HR) at the University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria (UICOMP). C4HR focuses on population health, health equity, health outcomes, and health informatics research. As part of the University of Illinois Chicago, the nation's largest public medical school, C4HR aims to advance scientific discovery, enhance patient care, improve public health, and promote economic growth (https://peoria.medicine.uic.edu/uicomp-research/center-4-health-research/). Dodani is a distinguished physician-epidemiologist with expertise in preventive cardiology and implementation science research. She is recognized nationally and internationally for her leadership in establishing centers of excellence in clinical, outcomes, and population health research. Over her career, she has trained more than 100 physicians and healthcare professionals, fostering their development into successful physician-scientists and researchers.

Prior to joining UICOMP, Dodani served as the Founding Director of the Eastern Virginia Medical School(EVMS)-Sentara Healthcare Analytics and Delivery Science Institute (HADSI). HADSI became a model for healthcare innovation, offering data analysis services and supporting research aimed at reducing regional health disparities. Since its launch in 2017, HADSI has delivered tangible outcomes by translating research findings into evidence-based practices. Dodani also currently holds the title of Professor of Medicine (Community) at the Macon and Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences Center at the Old Dominion University.

In addition to her impressive professional accomplishments, Dodani is also a polio survivor and serves as an inspiration and role model for young people. Her life story and achievements are chronicled in two published books.

1. Healing Beyond Borders: A Physicians Extraordinary Journey in Public Health And Community Service Post - Recovery From Polio Amazon.com

2. Healing Through Adversity: A Doctor's Triumph Over Polio. Dorrence Publishing [In Press]

Biography

Dodani earned her MD from Aga Khan University(AKU), where she also completed a residency in Family Medicine and two years of specialized training in Preventive Cardiology. Her academic achievements include two prestigious Fulbright scholarships. The first, awarded by the Aga Khan Foundation, enabled her to pursue a Masters in Epidemiology and Community Health at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The second, from the University of Pittsburgh, supported her completion of a PhD in Epidemiology. Dodani is among the youngest physician-scientists to secure two large NIH grants within two years of completing her PhD. She is a Fellow of the American Heart Association (AHA) and serves as an integral member of its National Board. Additionally, she contributes to over 30 national and international boards and committees, including the PCORI review panels, Veterans Administration (VA) study sections, NIH study sections, and the ECFMG-Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER).

Research and leadership

Dodani is an NIH-funded outcomes and implementation scientist specializing in addressing health disparities in cardiovascular disease (CVD), hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, and obesity among racial and ethnic minority populations. She has developed several evidence-based behavioral lifestyle programs for CVD prevention and management. These include Fit Body and Soul, a diabetes prevention program for high-risk African American communities; HEALS, a hypertension control program tailored for African American and Filipino populations; CHHIL, an obesity reduction program for children; and PARSAD, a diabetes management program for South Asians.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dodani founded and chaired the Health Equity Collaborative of Virginia, a statewide initiative aimed at fostering scientific collaboration among Virginia's academic institutions and healthcare systems to address health disparities. In partnership with George Mason University, and Vibrent Health Inc., she launched COVIDsmart, Virginia's first statewide COVID-19 registry. As principal investigator, Dodani led this effort to study the pandemic's impact on the mental health of Virginians. Her leadership in health equity, research management, and mentorship has left a lasting impact on national and global healthcare landscapes

Awards and Honors

• National Gold Medal, The Youngest Researcher of Pakistan, Pakistan Academy of Medical Sciences, Islamabad, Pakistan 2001
• Merit Fulbright Scholarship Award- Aga Khan Foundation, Ottawa, Canada 2000-2002
• Fulbright Scholarship from NIH grant, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 2003-2006
• Dean's Rosenkranz Award at Research Day, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 2004
• Community Service Award- International Society on Hypertension in Blacks (ISHIB) for diabetes prevention program "Fit Body and Soul" in African American community churches 2008
• Community Service Award- National Forum for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, Washington, DC 2018
• Elected Member, Omicron Chapter of Delta Omega Society University of Pittsburgh, Graduate School of Public Health 2022-present

Publications

1. Dodani S, Clarke A, El Moudden I, Gunawardena T, Bedi N,. The Impact of a Telehealth-Based Behavioral Lifestyle Program on Hypertension Control in African American Participants: Results from the HEALS Med-Tech Randomized Controlled Trial. Arch Med Sci. 2024 Jan 31;20(1):309-312. doi: 10.5114/aoms/177686. eCollection 2024
2. Gunawardena T, Bartholmae M, Karpov M, Rohan D, Ahuja K, Rajendran A, Kathrotia M, Dodani S. "Predictors for interest to participate in digital mental health therapy: A cross-sectional survey of individuals with anxiety and depression." BMC Health 2024
3. Karpov MV, Bartholmae MM, Levy BL, Roess AA, Renshaw KD, Sill JM, Dodani S.  Exploring the influence of behavioral factors on depression and anxiety scores during the COVID-19 pandemic: insights from the Virginia statewide COVIDsmart longitudinal study. BMC Public Health. 2023; 23:1749. Published online 2023 Sep 8. doi: 10.1186/s12889-023-16614-7
4. Bartholmae M, Karpov M, Gunawardena T, Dodani S. "SilverCloud mental health feasibility study:Who will it benefit the most?" Arch Med Sci. 2023 Aug 25;19(5):1576-1580
5. Al Rifai M, KIanoush S, Jain V, Joshi P, Cainzos-Achirica M, Nasir K, Merchant A, Dodani S,Wong S, Samad Z, Hehta A, Chunara R, Kalra A, Virani S. "Association of U.S. birth, duration ofresidence in the U.S., and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk factors among Asian adults." Preventive Medicine Reports. Oct 2022 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2022.101916.
6. Dod R, Rajendran A, Kathrotia M, Clarke A, Dodani S. "Cardiovascular Disease in South AsianImmigrants: A Review of Dysfunctional HDL as a Potential Marker." J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. Apr 2022 doi: 10.1007/s40615-022-01306-6.

(full list access https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=dodani+s&sort=date)