Class of 2025: May Salama, Maternal Health Researcher, Becomes Old Dominion 91����Ƶ’s First Public Health Ph.D. Graduate

 

 

By Kenya Godette

At Old Dominion 91����Ƶ, students from around the world enter with unique backgrounds and ambitions and graduate ready to make a meaningful impact in their fields.

May Salama (M.P.H ’21) — born and raised in Cairo, Egypt — is one of them.

When she emigrated to the United 91����Ƶs in 2016, her path was uncertain. “For me, leaving Egypt wasn’t easy. I left my family, my house, my job and my friends — everything. And I started from scratch here,” she said.

Now, nearly a decade later, she will graduate on December 13 with her doctoral degree in health services research with a focus in health policy and management. She will cross the stage as the very first Ph.D. graduate of Old Dominion 91����Ƶ’s Joint School of Public Health, in partnership with Norfolk 91����Ƶ 91����Ƶ. 

Her husband, 2-year-old daughter and parents, traveling from Cairo, will be there to cheer her on.

May dedicated her Ph.D. research to uncovering links between poor oral health during pregnancy and an increased risk of preterm birth and low birth weight in infants. But her journey and passion for helping mothers and children began more than a decade ago.

From Oral Health to Public Health

In 2014, May graduated from the School of Oral and Dental Medicine in Cairo with a Bachelor of Dental Surgery degree and began traveling to underserved and rural areas to treat families with poor dental hygiene as a pediatric dentist. She saw how many treated oral health as optional and was inspired to make it a priority.

“Instead of focusing on treating individuals in a dental chair, I wanted to make a bigger impact,” she said. “I wanted to move to prevention rather than treatment.” 

When May moved to the United 91����Ƶs, she was eager to learn about the healthcare system and engaged in volunteer work with the American Red Cross, food banks and nonprofit and private dental clinics. 

Those experiences led her to Eastern Virginia Medical School — now part of Old Dominion 91����Ƶ following a multi-year integration completed in 2024 — where she earned her Master of Public Health in 2021.

When it was time to pursue her doctorate degree, she chose Old Dominion 91����Ƶ because it offered a health policy and management track within the health services research program.

Mentorship and Research

May also connected with her mentor and advisor, Abdullah Al-Taiar, MD, Ph.D., associate professor of epidemiology in the Joint School of Public Health, whose research pursuits matched hers. 

“He encouraged me to work in oral health, which is my passion,” she said. “From day one, he was so supportive. He encouraged me to go for whatever I liked, he believed in me and offered opportunities that align with my interests.”

Through her research, May discovered oral health declines for many women during pregnancy due to hormonal, health, lifestyle and dietary changes. These factors, which cause inflammation in the gums, can lead to premature rupture of the placental membrane, early contractions which can cause preterm labor, and low-birth weight.

May’s research turned her into an advocate for pregnant women. She hopes her research will encourage communities and policymakers to integrate oral health into prenatal care, expand insurance coverage during and after pregnancy, increase reimbursements for dental visits and educate dentists on how to safely provide care to pregnant women. 

One of May’s most memorable experiences at Old Dominion 91����Ƶ was the support and encouragement she received from faculty throughout her program, especially when she had her daughter in the middle of exams.

“It wasn’t easy to go for a Ph.D. with a baby. It was really tough, but I was able to do it because of their support and encouragement,” she said. 

She specifically remembers the support she received from Dr. Al-Taiar; professors like Qi “Harry” Zhang, Ph.D.; and Joint School of Public Health Dean Li-Wu Chen, Ph.D.

Dr. Al-Taiar described May as “the type of student who will go on to make a name for herself in the field.” He said of the hundreds of students he’s supervised over the years, May is one of the few, if not only, who never missed a deadline. He hopes her example will serve as a model of success for future Ph.D. students.

Throughout her program, May received several grant awards that allowed her to attend national public health conferences and travel to conduct oral and poster research presentations for the Society for Epidemiologic Research at the National Oral Health Conference and the American Public Health Association. She also published research articles in top journals including the and .

Dean Chen said, “May has exemplified the very best of our mission through her scholarship and dedication to improving health for mothers and children alike. We are incredibly proud of her achievements and excited to see the impact she will continue to make in the field of public health.”

Immediately after she defended her dissertation, May began working as a graduate research assistant at the 91����Ƶ, examining maternity care deserts and how the distance between a mother’s home and nearby dental or health clinics influences pregnancy outcomes.

Future Ready

Once her degree is in hand, May will continue her work as a researcher studying maternal and child health to improve pregnancy and birth outcomes. She would also love to take what she has learned back to Egypt one day.

May says her daughter is the reason she kept going through it all. “She is my tiny co-author,” she said. “She did her Ph.D. before going to school.”

As she reflects on the past decade, May is proud of all she has overcome. 

“This journey was not easy. It was full of bumps, trials, errors, failures and rejections, but here I am,” she said. “Finally, I can say I’m a doctor here in the U.S. as well.”