Dima L. Chaar, PhD, MHI, is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research. She received her doctorate in Epidemiologic Sciences from the University of Michigan, where she completed her dissertation titled “Socio-Contextual and Multi-Omic Associations with Cognitive Function and Structural Brain Measures in Older African Americans.” She also received her Masters of Health Informatics, with a certificate in Data Science, from the University of Michigan as well as her Bachelor of Arts in Neuroscience & Behavior from Barnard College of Columbia University.
Dr. Chaar is interested in addressing questions of human health and disease through rigorous statistical analysis at the interface of genomics, statistics and computer science. She investigates the relationship between multi-omic layers of data (genetic, epigenetic and transcriptomic data) and age-related chronic diseases. She works with large, multi-ethnic cohort studies to investigate a broad range of traits such as non-melanoma skin cancer, eye diseases, hernias, dementia and cerebrovascular diseases. She also studies how genetic/epigenetic determinants of health interact with non-genetic risk factors (e.g., environmental factors) to shape disease risk in vulnerable populations. Her prior research focused on how health information technology can ameliorate caregiver burden by analyzing Electronic Health Record data and conducting qualitative research methods.
Current Positions
- Research Fellow
Section Affiliations
Primary Research Interests
- Genetic epidemiology and pharmacogenomics
- Genetic factors influencing cognitive function, cognitive decline, and dementia
- Genetics of vision disorders
- Genetics of non-melanoma skin cancer
- Genetic determinants of cerebrovascular diseases
- Genetics of hernia susceptibility
- Gene-environment interactions
- Multi-omic and socio-contextual interactions
