Rita Giacaman is a leading figure in public health and an Emeritus Professor of Public Health at Birzeit University in Palestine. She served for over three decades as Professor and Research and Program Coordinator at the Institute of Community and Public Health (ICPH), where she was also a founding member and played a central role in shaping its academic and research agenda.

Prior to her academic career at Birzeit University, she worked as a researcher with the Palestinian social action movement, contributing to the development and establishment of the Palestinian primary health care model. She was also involved in the creation of the Palestinian community-based disability rehabilitation network.

She holds a PhD in Clinical Pharmacy from the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center, and a Master’s degree in Sociology, with a focus on health policy and women’s health. Her research has focused extensively on the health consequences of chronic war and political violence, including psychosocial and mental health system-building in conflict settings, social epidemiology, health policy, public health, and women’s health.

She has published widely in leading peer-reviewed journals, including The Lancet, Health Policy, the European Journal of Public Health, and the Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics, and her work has made a substantial contribution to public health scholarship and practice in conflict-affected settings.