Keynote Speaker and Workshop Highlights

Dear Friends,

We are thrilled to announce that Joseph Kolars, MD will deliver a keynote address at the ACCESS 10th Arab Health Summit! This year's summit promises to be an extraordinary gathering of healthcare professionals, researchers, and community leaders. Dr. Kolars' participation highlights our commitment to delivering an exceptional experience for all attendees.

This year’s theme is Advancing Health Amidst Conflict and Crisis. Have you registered yet? Early-bird registration is available until Monday, Sept. 2! Click here to register today.

Keynote Spotlight – Joesph Kolars, MD
We are excited to highlight one of our esteemed keynote speakers.


Joseph Kolars, MD
Joseph Kolars, MD, Senior Associate Dean for Education and Global Initiatives, Josiah Macy Jr. Professor of Health Professions Education, and Professor of Internal Medicine at Michigan Medical School, is an American physician whose major focus of his career is on strengthening health systems in low-resource countries to improve the education and training of healthcare workers. Kolars has published over 100 scientific manuscripts throughout his career and has been involved in the National Institutes of Health's Medical Education Partnership Initiative (MEPI). His research assesses teaching quality within the medical curriculum, examines educational outcomes, and aims to improve patient care. He was awarded the Abraham Flexner Award for Distinguished Service to Medical Education from the Association of American Medical Colleges.

Dr. Kolars will speak at The Henry Presidential Ballroom on Wednesday, October 23rd. Read Dr. Kolars’s full bio on his speaker page.


Workshop Spotlight: Identifying and Overcoming Dementia Stigma
The time to break the stigma surrounding dementia is now! Doing so requires us to talk about and refine, through language and actions, what we can do better as individuals, researchers, practitioners, and as a community.

Population aging has made dementia a growing concern for all families. Yet, dementia and its symptoms, diagnosis, etiologies, and risk factors, as well as the ways to engage and deal with it remain vaguely understood among many. With this lack of understanding comes shame and stigma.

This 90-minute workshop aims to empower practitioners and researchers in the fight against dementia stigma and promote healthy aging through information sharing, reflection, and discussion. Attendees will learn how to identify, measure, and overcome or help others overcome dementia stigma when encountered. The goal of this workshop is to reduce stigma and increase help-seeking behaviors.

The workshop is interactive and structured to allow attendees to engage creatively with evidence-based information – such as live polling, infographics, videos, and most importantly, time with peers committed to supporting the Arab/MENA American community around the issues of stigma, dementia, and health aging.

Workshop Presenters Spotlight: Kristine J. Ajrouch and Wassim Tarraf

Kristine J. Ajrouch, PhD is a research professor in the Research Center for Group Dynamics, Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. She also co-directs the Michigan Center for Contextual Factors in Alzheimer’s Disease (MCCFAD). Her research has focused, for over twenty-five years, on Middle Eastern/Arab Americans. Her current work, funded by the National Institute of Aging, addresses social aspects of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). She is leading efforts to establish prevalence levels of AD among Middle Eastern/Arab Americans aged 65 and older in the metro Detroit area as well as adapt an AD caregiver intervention program to meet the needs of Middle Eastern/Arab American families.


Wassim Tarraf, PhD is Associate Professor of Gerontology and Healthcare Sciences at Wayne State University. Wassim’s work focuses on health inequities in aging and investigating determinants of health and healthcare. For the past decade, he has worked on investigating biopsychosocial determinants of cognitive aging in racial/ethnic minorities in the US. Wassim is dedicated to the training and mentoring of young scientists interested in aging-related research. He is the Community Research and Liaison Core Co-Lead of the Michigan Center for Contextual Factors in Alzheimer’s Disease (MCCFAD).

Please view our full agenda and all speakers on our website. Speakers and panelists will discuss a wide range of topics including health communications and campaign building, mental health and first aid training, motivational interviewing and more!


About the Arab Health Summit
The Arab Health Summit serves as a platform for researchers in the United States to connect with their global counterparts, including in the MENA (Middle Eastern and North African) region, for a unique opportunity to exchange best practices and develop research relationships that may build sustainable public health infrastructure globally. It reaffirms our strong commitment to prevent disease, reduce health disparities, and promote wellness in the community at large.

Additional information will be shared on our website as we get closer to the event.