Amar Ahmad Ph.D.

Amar Ahmad

Bio

I was awarded a Ph.D. in Statistics by the University of Munich (Ludwig Maximilian University) in 2007. This follows a German Diplom (equivalent to having earned both U.S. Bachelor's and Master's degrees) in Statistics in 2003 by the University of Munich (Ludwig Maximilian University) in Germany. I am a fellow of the Royal Statistical Society in the UK. I have worked as a biostatistician for the last two decades.

I worked as a research assistant at the University of Munich in 2003. In 2007, I worked on the statistical analysis of clinical trial methodology at Bayer Pharmaceuticals in Berlin-Germany. I moved to London University in 2009 to work with cancer molecular biologist Alan Ashworth and later in 2010 with Jack Cuzick. In November 2019, I started working as a Research Scientist at the Public Health Research Centre at New York University Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

My publication "Trends in the lifetime risk of developing cancer in Great Britain: comparison of risk for those born from 1930 to 1960. Ahmad et al (2015). Br J Cancer" was selected as the paper of the year in Cancer Prevention by The Scottish Cancer Prevention Network. In 2010 I have awarded with my colleagues the Jeramy Jass Prize for Research Excellence in Pathology. 

I have developed the ability to design, critically analyse, interpret and report the findings of a research project in a health-related topic. This is primarily using methodologies appropriate for health surveys and observational cohort/case-control studies and l also examine methodologies relevant for (randomised controlled) clinical trials.

Abstract

Drug Use Disorders Prevalence in the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries: Projections to the Year 2040

The aim of this study is to provide drug use disorders prevalence projections in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Drug use disorder data for the GCC countries were downloaded from "Our World in Data" (see https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/share-with-drug-use-disorders). Univariate linear models were performed using generalized least squares for each GCC country with drug use disorders prevalence as an outcome variable. The predictor variable (year) was fitted as quadratic in all models. Future drug use disorders prevalence data was projected up to 2040, and current period effects were extrapolated into the future, tolerated the drift to continue but attenuated it, and stopped all nonlinear period effects. In an additional analysis, drug use disorder prevalence projections for the United States and the United Kingdom data were also analysed. All statistical analyses were performed in R software version 4.1.0.

The prevalence of drug use disorders is projected to increase between 2019 and 2040 in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. However, it is projected that the prevalence of drug use disorders in the United Arab Emirates will decrease.

Presentations

NRC Academic Partners, Day 3, Track 2, 09:00 -10:30

ISSUP Event
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Presented as part of the Uniting the global community to face the challenge of addiction event, in-person on 14th May, 2022 Presentations: From Blackberry to Mindtales: Evolution of smartphone application in mental health and addiction -...