Fadia Shaya Named UMB Distinguished University Professor

Fadia T. Shaya, PhD, MPH, professor of practice, sciences, and health outcomes research, has been recognized as a Distinguished University Professor.

By Becky Ceraul
May 25, 2023

University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) President Bruce Jarrell, MD, FACS, announced on May 22 that Fadia T. Shaya, PhD, MPH, professor of practice, sciences, and health outcomes research at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, has been recognized as a Distinguished University Professor by the University of Maryland, Baltimore, the highest appointment bestowed on a faculty member at the University. She is one of eight faculty recipients among the UMB schools.

“It is a recognition not just of excellence, but also of impact and significant contribution to the nominee’s field, knowledge, profession, and/or practice,” Jarrell said in his letter to the UMB community. “I’m extremely proud of the exceptional and transformational contributions each of these faculty members has made in support of UMB’s mission to improve the human condition and serve the public good. They are excellent examples of living the UMB core values, and it is my honor to call them colleagues.”

Shaya, a tenured professor and population health and data science expert, is executive director of the School of Pharmacy’s Behavioral Health Resources and Technical Assistance (BHRT) Program, which focuses on statewide prescription drug misuse prevention efforts covering all Maryland jurisdictions, helping local health departments in needs assessment, capacity building, strategic planning, implementation, and evaluation. She has mentored hundreds of Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) and PhD students, and postdoctoral fellows, and teaches in the School’s PharmD, graduate and MS in Regulatory Science programs. She is also co-director of the informatics core and director of the innovation, dissemination, and implementation core in UMB’s Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR).

Shaya has built capacity to develop agile technology systems to derive real-time evidence using artificial intelligence and machine learning. Her research leverages multi-source data to support clinical trials and stakeholder engagement, including health systems, patient, and provider groups as well as regulators and payers. Her research models link clinical, social, environmental, and behavioral data. She has experience developing comparative effectiveness research, clinical, economic, policy, decision analytic and budget impact models. Her research lab has been continuously funded externally from state, federal, non-profit, and industry sources.

Shaya is an elected member of the board of directors at AcademyHealth, serves on National Institutes of Health and the Agency for Health Care Quality and Research study sections, and is a past board member of the Quality Health Foundation and the Delmarva Foundation. She serves on numerous editorial advisory boards and is a referee for peer-reviewed journals, reviewing over 500 papers and federal grants applications and publishing more than 250 papers. She regularly presents research at national and international conferences and scientific and policy meetings.

Shaya obtained her PhD from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, her doctoral health economics degree (DESS) from the Sorbonne University Paris-IX Dauphine in France, and her Master’s in public health and BSc in biology and chemistry from the American University of Beirut in Lebanon. She completed postdoctoral training at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy and CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, and a research and academic leadership program at the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. She is an alumna of the Harvard Business School and of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management. Dr. Shaya also holds the Distinguished Alumna Award from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Founders’ Week Excellence in Education Award from UMB.

“Since joining the School’s faculty in 2002, Dr. Shaya has consistently demonstrated the skills of an accomplished educator, researcher, and leader,” says Natalie D. Eddington, PhD, FAAPS, FCP, dean and professor of the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. “Her focus on the social determinants of health and optimizing the effectiveness and reducing the risk of prescription drugs and medical devices strongly supports UMB’s mission to improve the human condition. She is a passionate professional known for her thoughtfulness and candor. I applaud her on being named a UMB Distinguished University Professor.”

“This is truly a humbling honor,” says Shaya. “This award is a celebration of UMB’s collective and vibrant academic environment. One that enables the pursuit of excellence in research and discovery, that supports service to the profession and the diverse communities we serve, and that fosters innovation and leadership. I am deeply grateful to my students, trainees, staff, fellow faculty members, the School of Pharmacy, and University leadership, as well as my colleagues inside and outside UMB. They a source of strength and inspiration.”

Shaya and the seven other UMB faculty members will receive their Distinguished University Professor medals at UMB’s Fall Convocation on Sept. 14.