Mohammed Abba-Aji

Mohammed Abba-Aji says the experience of leading a military medical team charged with providing care for a community of displaced people led him toward the field of public health. Now a physician and population health scientist, he uses complex systems science to study what drives health outcomes at the population level. (Photo: Zachary Linhares/WashU Bursky Public Health)

Mohammed Abba-Aji


Lecturer in Public Health & Society
MD, University of Maiduguri
MPH, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
DrPH, Boston University
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Dr. Mohammed Abba-Aji is a physician and population health scientist whose research examines how violence, displacement, and other social determinants shape mental health in the United States and globally. His work spans population mental health in conflict-affected settings, firearm injury epidemiology, and the commercial determinants of health. He holds an MBBS (MD equivalent) from the University of Maiduguri, an MPH from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, where he studied as a Chevening Scholar, and a DrPH from Boston University.

Courses

Foundations in Public Health

This course examines the foundations in public health using an equity and social justice approach emphasizing the interconnectedness of population and individual health. The course will cover the history and impact of public health, including the importance of health equity, social justice, and human rights, as well as the essential role of ethics in public health. The course will expose students to various public health professionals working on inter-professional teams to explore careers in public health, we will invite public health and community health experts from the St. Louis region as well as national and international guest speakers.

Introduction to Epidemiology

This course introduces core tools of epidemiology-the study of the distribution and determinants of health in populations. Students define and interpret basic measures (incidence, prevalence, risk, odds), compare common study designs (cross-sectional, case-control, cohort, randomized trials), identify threats to validity (bias, confounding, effect modification), and communicate findings clearly to non-technical audiences. No coding is required.

Recent Publications:

Abba-Aji, Mohammed, Gregory Cohen, Salma Abdalla, Ruochen Wang, Jaimie Gradus, and Sandro Galea. “Understanding the Impact of Natural Disasters on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Depression Symptoms: An Examination of Counterfactual Displacement Scenarios.” PLOS Mental Health 3, no. 6 (June 18, 2026). 

Abba-Aji, Mohammed, and Sandro Galea. “The Health Implications of US Federal Changes to Non-Health Structures and Policies.” Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, October 8, 2025.

Abba-Aji, Mohammed, and Nason Maani. “Countering the Arms Industry as a Commercial Determinant of Health.” BMJ 390 (September 1, 2025). 

Galea, Sandro, and Mohammed Abba-Aji. “Integrating Population Health Science and Systems Thinking into Suicide Prevention.” Psychiatry 88, no. 1 (January 2, 2025): 17–22.

Galea, Sandro, and Mohammed Abba-Aji. “New Directions for Population Health Science and Scholarship.” JAMA Health Forum 5, no. 11 (November 7, 2024).

Abba-Aji, Mohammed, Shaffi Fazaludeen Koya, Salma M. Abdalla, Catherine K. Ettman, Gregory Herschel Cohen, and Sandro Galea. “The Mental Health Consequences of Interpersonal Gun Violence: A Systematic Review.” SSM - Mental Health 5 (June 2024): 100302.

Abba-Aji, Mohammed, Angela Moreland, Salma M. Abdalla, Caitlin Rancher, Sandro Galea, Faraday Davies, and Dean G. Kilpatrick. “Prevalence and Risk Factors of Depression and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder after a Mass Shooting.” JAMA Network Open 7, no. 3 (March 19, 2024).

Abba-Aji, Mohammed, David Stuckler, Sandro Galea, and Martin McKee. “Ethnic/Racial Minorities’ and Migrants’ Access to Covid-19 Vaccines: A Systematic Review of Barriers and Facilitators.” Journal of Migration and Health 5 (2022): 100086.