Dilshad Jaff, MD, MPH

About

Dr. Jaff brings over 20 years' field experience in complex humanitarian crises working for refugees and IDPs, largely with the International Committee of the Red Cross. After earning an MPH in Maternal and Child Health from the Gillings School of Global Public Health in 2015, he joined the faculty as an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Maternal and Child Health. In this role, he has supported students by lecturing, mentoring, and guiding research on global and refugee health topics. 

Recognized for his contributions, Dr. Jaff was named a Gillings Humanitarian Fellow in 2019. In 2023, he was appointed as co-lead of the Humanitarian Health Initiative at Gillings, a role that aligns with his dedication to advancing health in humanitarian contexts.

As an Associate Clinical Practice Professor in the Department of Public Health Leadership and Practice (PHLP), Dr. Jaff directs the Gillings Humanitarian Health Initiative. In this capacity, he leads efforts to design, strengthen, and support partnerships in global health, refugee health, and crisis response. His work fosters collaboration among Gillings faculty, students, and global health professionals to address critical health challenges worldwide.

Dilshad Jaff in the Gillings News

Honors and Awards

Rotary Peace Fellow
2013-2015, Rotary International Foundation

Paul Harris Fellow
2013, Rotary International Foundation

Research Activities

Research Interests:
Dr. Jaff’s research centers on improving understanding of complex emergencies and their implications on public health. His research interests include displaced, refugee and immigrant health, maternal and child health, implementation science, complex emergencies, and monitoring and evaluation.

Research Activities:
- Implementation, scale-up and sustainability of health and humanitarian interventions
- Protection of the medical mission
- Improving health-care delivery in complex emergencies
- Mental health
- Disaster preparedness and management
- Medical microbiology
- Water and sanitation
- Health workforce capacity development

Key Publications

Barriers to mental healthcare in the Kurdistan Region of iraq: Practitioner perspectives. Jaff, D., Abas, N., Leatherman, S., Seidi, P., & Ankamah, D. (2024). Medicine, Conflict and Survival.
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The use of AI for humanitarian response during conflict: Do no digital harm. Jaff, D. (2024). Medicine, Conflict and Survival, 40(3), 273–275.
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The proliferation of counterfeit and substandard medicines in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI): Why does it matter? Jaff, D. (2023). Medicine, Conflict and Survival, 39(4), 352–355.
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Attitudes towards people with mental health illness in the Kurdistan Region of iraq: A quantitative study. Abas, N. Q., Jaff, D., & Seidi, P. (2023). Medicine, Conflict and Survival, 39(4), 412–422.
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The surge of spreading harmful information through digital technologies: a distressing reality in complex humanitarian emergencies. Jaff, D. The Lancet Global Health, 11(6), 821 -822.
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Violence, Armed Conflict and the Burden of Mental Illness in the Middle East and Beyond. (Book Chapter). 1st edition. Dilshad Jaff and Lewis Margolis (2017). Cambridge Scholars Publishing (UK).

Eliminating Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting in Iraqi Kurdistan: a challenge. Medicine, Conflict and Survival. Dilshad Jaff  (2017).

Tuberculosis, human rights and ethics considerations along the route of a highly vulnerable migrant from sub-Saharan Africa to Europe. Verina Wild, Dilshad Jaff, N. Sarita Shah, Mike Frick (2017). International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, 21(10), 1075–1085.

The importance of mental well-being for health professionals during complex emergencies: it is time we take it seriously. Mary Surya, Dilshad Jaff, Barbara Stilwell, Johanna Schubert (2017). Global Health Science Practice, 5(2), 188-196.

Targeting health care in armed conflicts and emergencies: is it underestimated? Dilshad Jaff, Kavita Singh & Lewis Margolis (2016). Medicine, Conflict and Survival, 32(1), 21-29.

The Incidence of Rotavirus and Adenovirus Infections Among Children with Diarrhea in Sulaimani Province, Iraq. Dilshad O. Jaff, Tariq A. G. Aziz and Natalie R. Smith (2016). Journal of Biosciences and Medicines, 4(1), 124-131.

Molecular and Serological Detection of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus in Sulaimani Province, Iraq. Tariq A.G. Aziz, Dlovan J. Ali, Dilshad O. Jaff (2016). Journal of Biosciences and Medicines, 4(1), 36-42.

Education