About

Ola Sukkarieh-Haraty, RN, MPH, PhD

Dr. Ola Sukkarieh is an associate professor of nursing at Alice Ramez Chagoury School of Nursing. Dr. Sukkarieh graduated from the University of Balamand (UOB) with a BSN and obtained a master’s in public health from the American University of Beirut. 

Afterward, she pursued her PhD studies in Nursing Science and Research at Northeastern University, US. Dr. Sukkarieh is a licensed Registered Nurse in Lebanon. She is a member of the American Diabetes Association and Sigma Theta Tau. She is well-versed in course and curriculum development, having taught across multiple nursing courses and served as a clinical and didactic course coordinator. 

She has served on multiple school and university councils and master theses. She chaired the Research, Scholarship, Faculty Development Council and the Curriculum and Academic Council. Dr. Sukkarieh is interested in diabetes self-management and cultural values, mainly diabetes fatalism. She is currently tapping into understanding social determinants of health and their relationship with diabetes outcomes that inform nursing practice. 

Education

Scholarly Interests

Dr.Ola Sukkarieh is interested in assessing the level of diabetes self-care, psychological adjustment, and social support in predicting the level of glycemic control among Lebanese adults with diabetes mellitus (DM).

Several studies in Western countries have documented the importance of self-care in optimizing glycemic outcomes (glycosolated hemoglobin A1C) and minimizing the complications of DM. No such studies have been conducted in Lebanon. It may be that Lebanese people react differently or that self-care is not a concept that is culturally accepted. In Lebanon, individuals with DM are cared for by their families with little self-initiative; this may be different than in the patients in the West. Furthermore, diabetes self-care educational programs designed for the West may not be appropriate culturally for the Lebanese or other people in the Middle East.

The unexplored concept of diabetes self-care in the Lebanese population mandates prompt attention in order to control the hazards of the increase in prevalence of DM. Ultimately, findings of Sukkarieh’s work will highlight the current diabetes self-care and alert health care providers to tailor educational programs that are culturally sensitive to the Lebanese diabetic population.

Prestigious Grant

National Institute of Health- NIH 1 R21 TW011453-01, Egede, L., (PI, and Medical College of Wisconsin), Jaffa, A., and (PI-American University of Beirut), Jaffa, M., (Co-PI, American University of Beirut), Bassil, M., (Investigator, Lebanese American University), Sukkarieh, O. (Investigator, Lebanese American University), Spring 2020-Spring 2022: Building Infrastructure to Address Social, Cultural and Biological Determinants of Diabetes in Lebanon.

Publications

Sukkarieh, O., Egede, L. E., & Bassil, M. (2022). Relationship between materials needs security and clinical outcomes in adults with type 2 diabetes in Lebanon. Diabetes research and clinical practice, 186, 109818.

Awad, N., Saade, R., Bassil, M., Sukkarieh-Haraty, O., & Egede, L. E. (2022). Relationship between social determinants of health and clinical outcomes in adults with type 2 diabetes in Lebanon. Journal of the National Medical Association, 114(4), 392–405. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnma.2022.03.002

Sukkarieh-Haraty, O., Egede, L. E., Khazen, G., Abi Kharma, J., Farran, N., & Bassil, M. (2022). Results from the first culturally tailored, multidisciplinary diabetes education in Lebanese adults with type 2 diabetes: effects on self-care and metabolic outcomes. BMC research notes, 15(1), 39.

Haraty. R, & Sukkarieh., O. (2021). eHealth Technology: What Do We Know and What do We Need to Learn. Inaugural Issue – Advances in Computing and Engineering. Academy Publishing Center. eISSN: 2735-5985.

Sukkarieh-Haraty, O., Egede, L. E., Abi Kharma, J., & Bassil, M. (2019). Diabetes fatalism and its emotional distress subscale are independent predictors of glycemic control among Lebanese patients with type 2 diabetes. Ethnicity & Health, 24(7):767- 7781-12.DOI: 10.1080/13557858.2017.1373075

Sukkarieh-Haraty, O., Egede, L. E., Abi Kharma, J., & Bassil, M. (2018). Psychometric properties of the Arabic version of the 12-item diabetes fatalism scale. PLOS ONE, 13(1), e0190719. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0190719.

Sukkarieh-Haraty, O., Egede, L. E., Abi Kharma, J., & Bassil, M. (2017). Predictors of Diabetes Fatalism among Arabs: A Cross-Sectional Study of Lebanese Adults with Type 2 Diabetes. Journal of Religion and Health, 1-11. DOI: 10.1007/s10943-017-0430-0.

Sukkarieh-Haraty, O., & Hoffart, N. (2017). Integrating evidence-based practice into a Lebanese nursing baccalaureate program:  Challenges and successes. International Journal of Nursing Education Scholarship, 14(1), 441. DOI:10.1515/ijnes-2017-0026.

Long, J. D., Gannaway, P., Ford, C., Doumit, R., Zeeni, N., Sukkarieh‐Haraty, O., Milane, A., Byers, B., Harrison, L.N., Hatch, D., Brown, J., Proper, S., White, P., Song, H., & Song, H. (2016). Effectiveness of a Technology‐Based Intervention to Teach Evidence‐Based Practice: The EBR Tool. Worldviews on Evidence‐Based Nursing, 13(1), 59-65. DOI: 10.1111/wvn.12132.

Sukkarieh-Haraty, O., & Howard, E. (2016). Psychometric Properties of the Arabic Version of the Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities Instrument. Research and Theory for Nursing Practice, 30(1), 60. DOI: 10.1891/1541-6577.30.1.60.

Sukkarieh-Haraty, O., & Howard, E. (2015). Is social support universally adaptive in diabetes? A correlational study in an Arabic-speaking population with type 2 diabetes. Holist Nurs Pract, 29(1), 37-47. DOI :10.1891/1541-6577.30.1.60.

Presentations at Academic and/or Professional Meetings

Jaffa, A., Egede, L., Bassil, O., Sukkarieh, O., Jaffa, M., Walker, R., & Campbell, J., “Running a Clinical Study in the Middle of a Pandemic and Social Upheaval: A Case from Lebanon.” Presented at Global Non-Communicable Diseases and Disorders Research and Research Training Programs-National Institute of Health (Global NCD) Network Virtual Meeting.

Bassil, M. & Sukkarieh, O. “Social Determinants of Health and Clinical Outcomes: A case of Diabetes.” Presented at Qatar University as part of continuous professional development series of workshops for healthcare professionals. March 28, 2022.

Sukkarieh-Haraty, O & Bassil, M. “Running a Clinical Study in the middle of a Pandemic and Social Upheaval: A Case Study from Lebanon.” Presented at the 2021 Medical College of Wisconsin Health Disparities Conference for healthcare professionals. November 11, 2021.