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Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work’s academic disciplines—public health, dietetics and nutrition, social work, and disaster preparedness—are advancing research and bringing our students to the forefront of their fields. 

Stempel College's researchers study chronic diseases, healthy aging and the consequences of environmental exposure on human populations. 

Today, we rank No. 15 in the nation among public schools of public health for research awards granted by the NIH, according to the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research.

Tomás R. Guilarte

Tomás R. Guilarte, Ph.D., is dean of Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work. Guilarte received his doctorate and spent three decades as a professor and researcher in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. He is renowned for revealing the effects that low-level lead exposure has on the central nervous system during brain development, a discovery that led to strategies for mitigating learning deficits.

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  • Brain, Behavior and the Environment Program

    One of FIU’s Emerging Preeminent Programs, the Brain, Behavior and the Environment program focuses on factors that affect brain health. The transdisciplinary initiative unites the dynamic and diverse neuroscience community at FIU toward three goals: to create and empower research programs focused on environmental causes of neurological disease; to devise strategies and develop therapies for neurological disorders using novel neuroscience and engineering tools as well as pharmacological approaches; and to establish a rich educational resource in South Florida to educate students, faculty, clinicians, the public and health officials on the role that environmental factors play on neurological disease.

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  • Society of Toxicology: Brain, Behavior and the Environment

    The Brain, Behavior and the Environment program was selected as one of the premier programs featured in the Society of Toxicology’s leadership film series. The film series profiles academic, government, and industry partners working at the forefront of creating a healthier and safer world by advancing science and increasing the impact of toxicology.

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  • Lead Exposure Study

    The FIU Research Magazine featured Dr. Guilarte in its 2023 issue, which took a closer look at a possible therapeutic solution that could reverse the devastating effects of environmental lead exposure on the brain.

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Diana Azzam

Diana Azzam, Ph.D., is an associate professor at Florida International University. She has a Masters in Biochemistry from the American University of Beirut, Lebanon and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology from the University of Miami, Florida. Her lab focuses on implementing functional precision medicine (FPM) approaches in adult and pediatric cancer patients that have run out of treatment options.

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  • The Azzam Lab

    The Azzam Lab tackles advanced cancers through the usage of functional precision medicine in cancer treatment as well as a multifaceted study of cancer stem cells, which are the cells responsible for cancer relapse and metastasis.

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  • Functional Precision Medicine Advantage

    Dr. Azzam and her lab collaborated with Nicklaus Children’s Hospital and conducted a first-of-its-kind clinical trial to guide personalized treatments for some of the deadliest children’s cancers using a unique functional precision medicine (FPM) approach.

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  • Redefining Personalized Cancer Treatment

    The FIU Research Magazine featured Dr. Azzam and her cancer lab in its 2024-25 issue, which took a closer look at its groundbreaking work.

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Kim Tieu

Kim Tieu, Ph.D., is a professor at Florida International University. He has a Ph.D. from the University of Saskatchewan and is the principal investigator of the Parkinson’s Disease Research Laboratory. The group studies the mechanisms of neuronal dysfunction and degeneration as seen in Parkinson’s disease, with the ultimate goal of developing effective disease-modifying therapies for this devastating brain disorder.

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  • Parkinson’s Disease Research Laboratory

    The laboratory studies the pathogenic mechanisms induced by environmental toxicants, genetic mutations and gene-environment interactions in Parkinson’s disease (PD) with the ultimate goal of developing disease-modifying therapeutics for this brain disorder.

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  • Mitochondria Mysteries: The Secret Weapon Against Parkinson's?

    In this short video, discover how Tieu's team uncovers how healthy mitochondria can protect neurons, prevent toxic buildup, and preserve brain function. These findings may offer hope for those battling Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative disorders.

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  • Award-Winning Work

    Dr. Tieu's lab has been awarded the NIEHS Revolutionizing Innovative, Visionary Environmental Health Research grant after discovering a new function of a protein that could be targeted as potential therapeutics for neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease.

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Stempel College Rankings

  • Top 50School of Public Health (US News & World Report)
  • No. 15Most funded public school of public health by the National Institutes of Health (Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research)
  • Top 100School of Social Work in South Florida (US News & World Report)