Dr. Payam Sheikhattari is a professor in public health at Morgan State University School of Community Health and Policy and the director of Prevention Sciences Research Center with over 20 years of experience in conducting research studies. Prof. Sheikhattari obtained his MD and MPH from Uromia and Tehran Medical Universities in Iran in 1996 and 2003, respectively. He continued his study in public health as a post-doctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University from 2003 -2005. He has been the principal investigator of competitive research grants in the areas of community-based participatory research, tobacco prevention and treatment, and biomedical research. Dr. Sheikhattari is leading the efforts of finding solutions to urban health disparities by forming research collaborations with underserved communities.