Jason L. Salemi, PhD, MPH, FACE

Professor

Concentration Lead, PhD Program in Epidemiology

President, Faculty Assembly

Contact Info

• Office: CPH 2120
• Academic Email: jsalemi@usf.edu
• Academic Phone: (813) 974-9449
• View My C.V. | View My Website | View My Lab Site

Education

Discipline

Epidemiology

Specialization

• Maternal and Child Health
• Birth Defects
• Public Health Surveillance and Data Systems
• Health Data Linkages
• Data Visualization

Biography

Dr. Salemi is a proud Tampeño and an accomplished triple alumnus of the University of South Florida (USF), having earned his BSc in Biology/Pre-Med Sciences in 2000, his MPH in 2005, and his PhD in Epidemiology in 2014, with concentrations in Biostatistics and Applied Biostatistics. He is blessed with a wonderful wife and son and a supportive network of family, friends, and colleagues. He is also blessed to do what he loves and truly practice his passion.

Research Interests

• Dr. Salemi is a nationally recognized expert in birth defects surveillance methodology, evaluation, and research, and has worked on and led numerous state- and federally-funded grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts. He has a versatile proficiency in epidemiological methodology, database development, as well as data linkage, management, and analysis.
• In 2014, after completing his doctoral studies, he joined Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) in Houston, TX, as a tenure-earning Assistant Professor. During his tenure at BCM, Dr. Salemi served as Director of Analytics for the Center for Primary Care and Population Health Research (2015), Assistant Director of a HRSA-funded Postdoctoral Primary Care Research Fellowship (2015), and Clinical Research Trainer for BCM's Center of Excellence in Health Equity, Training and Research (2017). In 2019, Dr. Salemi was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure.
• In 2020, Dr. Salemi returned to USF, where he continues to build productive relationships with colleagues in the College of Public Health and the Morsani College of Medicine. He is currently the Principal Investigator for the Birth Defects Surveillance Program, which collaborates with the CDC and Florida Department of Health to implement surveillance, research, education, prevention, and support activities of the Florida Birth Defects Registry.
• In 2020, as a commitment to serve his community, Dr. Salemi created a statewide, interactive dashboard to track COVID-19 in Florida, which gained national attention and until 2024 was a vital resource for researchers, data scientists, advocacy groups, county commissioners, and citizens throughout the state.
• In 2021, selected as a Fellow of the American College of Epidemiology, which is reserved for individuals who have distinguished themselves for significant and sustained contributions to the profession of epidemiology.
• In 2022, awarded the Outstanding Research Achievement Award at USF.
• Authored over 200 peer-reviewed papers, as well as hundreds of scientific abstracts and conference talks.
• Featured in over 500 local, national, and international media stories (print, TV, radio, podcasts) for his expertise on the importance of complete, accurate, and timely data on COVID-19 and its impact on the population.
• Embraced professional leadership positions in national committees, including his roles as Chair of the Data Committee and Surveillance Guidelines and Standards Committee for the National Birth Defects Prevention Network (NBDPN), and his past tenure as the NBDPN President in 2018. Currently serving a term from 2024-2026 as a Board Member of NBDPN.
• Embraced college-level leadership positions as both the concentration lead for the PhD program in epidemiology and the elected President of the Faculty Assembly.
• Immensely passionate about education, mentoring, and advising students and junior faculty. Dr. Salemi currently teaches epidemiology methods and data management courses and serves as the faculty advisor for the Epidemiology and Biostatistics Student Association (EBSA).
• Link to NCBI bibliography: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/jason.salemi.1/bibliography/public/