Back to
Dr Nina El-Haddad

Dr Nina El-Haddad

Casual Academic

PhD (Public Health & Community Medicine, UNSW) 

Master of Nutrition and Dietetics (University of Sydney)

Bachelor of Science (Nutrition and Food) (Western Sydney University)

Medicine & Health
School of Population Health

Dr Nouhad (Nina) El-Haddad is a public health researcher, Accredited Practising Dietitian, educator, and health services evaluation specialist with over 15 years of experience in primary health care, health equity, obesity prevention, and nutrition. Dr El-Haddad holds a PhD from UNSW, where her research examined the interaction between ethnicity and health literacy in weight management among Arabic-speaking immigrants.

As a Researcher at the International Centre for Future Health Systems (UNSW), Dr El-Haddad leads complex systematic reviews, mixed-methods evaluations, and health services research projects for government and research organisations. She has extensive expertise in study design, ethics, grant development, quantitative and qualitative research, stakeholder engagement, implementation science, and translating evidence into policy and practice. Her work has informed national health policy, primary care reform, cancer prevention, and health equity initiatives.

Alongside her research career, Dr El-Haddad has held academic appointments at the University of Technology Sydney and Western Sydney University, where she designed and convened university curricula, delivered undergraduate teaching, supervised academic quality processes, and mentored students and early-career professionals. 

Her multidisciplinary expertise spans research leadership, program evaluation, health literacy, knowledge translation, implementation research, and culturally responsive healthcare.
Phone
+61 (2) 9931 9270
E-mail
n.el-haddad@unsw.edu.au
  • Journal articles | 2026
    Haigh F; El-Haddad N; Barr M; Jopson W, 2026, 'The Health System Equity Action Framework: a review of Australian health equity frameworks and their operationalization of the Ottawa Charter', Health Promotion International, 41, http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daag101
    Journal articles | 2025
    El-Haddad N; Li Y; Delaney GP; Kang H; Vinod S; Barr M; Tabuchi T; Kidd M; Sitas F, 2025, 'It is never too late to stop smoking. Applying working estimates of smoking cessation on five-year overall survival gains after a cancer diagnosis', Cancer Epidemiology, 96, pp. 102775, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.canep.2025.102775
    Journal articles | 2024
    Grammatopoulos T; Yeoh E; El-Haddad N; Carson-Chahhoud K; Sitas F, 2024, 'Dual tobacco smoking, electronic cigarette use and COVID-19 outcomes', European Journal of Internal Medicine, 128, pp. 156 - 157, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejim.2024.05.027
    Journal articles | 2022
    Chan L; El-Haddad N; Freeman B; MacKenzie R; Woodland L; O’Hara BJ; Harris-Roxas BF, 2022, 'Evaluation of ‘Shisha No Thanks’ – a co-design social marketing campaign on the harms of waterpipe smoking', BMC Public Health, 22, pp. 386, http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-12792-y
    Journal articles | 2021
    Chan L; El-Haddad N; Freeman B; O'Hara BJ; Woodland L; Harris-Roxas B, 2021, 'A case study of an SMS text message community panel survey and its potential for use during the COVID-19 pandemic', Jmir Formative Research, 5, pp. e28929, http://dx.doi.org/10.2196/28929
    Journal articles | 2021
    Chan L; Karezi D; El-Haddad N; Woodland L; Corcoran J; Helaratne J; Takas K; Perez G, 2021, 'Shisha No Thanks! Co-designing an intervention with young Arabic-speaking adults to raise awareness of the harms of waterpipe smoking', TOBACCO INDUCED DISEASES, 19, pp. 108 - 109, http://dx.doi.org/10.18332/tid/141122
    Journal articles | 2016
    El-Haddad N; Spooner CJ; Faruqi N; Denney-Wilson E; Harris M, 2016, 'Readability and content analysis of lifestyle education resources for weight management in Australian general practice', BMC Obesity, http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s40608-016-0097-1
    Journal articles | 2015
    Faruqi N; Stocks N; Spooner C; el Haddad N; Harris MF, 2015, 'Research protocol: Management of obesity in patients with low health literacy in primary health care', BMC Obesity, 2, pp. 5, http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s40608-015-0036-6
    Journal articles | 2014
    Ho M; Halim JH; Gow ML; El-Haddad N; Baur LA; Cowell CT; Garnett SP; Marzulli T, 2014, 'Vitamin B12 in obese adolescents with clinical features of insulin resistance', Nutrients, 6, pp. 5611 - 5618, http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/nu6125611
  • Working Papers | 2021
    Chan L; El-Haddad N; Freeman B; O'Hara BJ; Woodland L; Harris-Roxas B, 2021, A Case Study of an SMS Text Message Community Panel Survey and Its Potential for Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic (Preprint), JMIR Publications, http://dx.doi.org10.2196/preprints.28929
  • Preprints | 2026
    El-Haddad N; Quinn E; Jeong SY-S; Barrett A; Brady C; Williams K; O’Callaghan C; Nizam GS; Haigh F, 2026, Understanding the implementation and impact of health equity frameworks in health systems: a mixed methods systematic review, http://dx.doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-10262087/v1
    Reports | 2025
    Haigh F; El-Haddad N; Barr M; Jopson W, 2025, Health Equity Frameworks in Australia: A Scoping Review, UNSW, Sydney, http://dx.doi.org/10.26190/unsworks/31565
    Conference Presentations | 2025
    Haigh F; El-Haddad N; Jopson W; Barr M; Jeong S; Quinn E, 2025, 'Transforming Health Systems for Equity: Australian Health Equity Framework Evolution and Innovation', presented at Australian Public Health Conference, Wollongong, 17 September 2025 - 18 September 2025
    Preprints | 2021
    Chan L; El-Haddad N; Freeman B; MacKenzie R; Karezi D; Woodland L; O’Hara B; Harris-Roxas B, 2021, Evaluation of ‘Shisha No Thanks’ – A Codesign Social Marketing Campaign on the Harms of Waterpipe Smoking, http://dx.doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-536851/v1
    Conference Abstracts | 2021
    Chan L; El-Haddad N; Freeman B; Mackenzie R; Karezi D; Woodland L; O'Hara B; Harris-Roxas B, 2021, 'A CO-DESIGN PROJECT TO RAISE AWARENESS OF THE HARMS OF SHISHA SMOKING AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE', in DRUG AND ALCOHOL REVIEW, WILEY, Vol. 40, pp. S54 - S54, https://www.webofscience.com/api/gateway?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000715073200138&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=891bb5ab6ba270e68a29b250adbe88d1
    Reports | 2020
    El Haddad N; Giourgas K; Chan L; Woodland L; Harris-Roxas B, 2020, Shisha No Thanks! Raising the awareness of the harms of waterpipe smoking in young people from Arabic speaking backgrounds (Final Report), South Eastern Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, http://dx.doi.org/10.26190/unsworks/27861
    Theses / Dissertations | 2017
    El-Haddad N, 2017, The interaction between ethnicity and health literacy for weight management among obese Arabic-speaking immigrants in Australian primary health care
    Conference Posters | 2016
    El-Haddad N; Spooner C; Faruqi N; Harris M, 2016, 'Readability and content analysis of lifestyle education resources for weight management in Australian general practice (poster)', Canberra, presented at Primary Health Care Research Conference
    Conference Posters | 2016
    El-Haddad N; Spooner C; Faruqi N; Harris M, 2016, 'Readability and content analysis of lifestyle education resources for weight management in Australian general practice (poster)', Melbourne, presented at Dietitians Association of Australia 33rd National Conference
    Reports | 2016
    Harris MF; Faruqi N; Stocks N; Spooner CJ; Hermiz O; El-Haddad N; Liaw T; Lloyd J; Lymer S; Caterson I, 2016, Weight management for patients in general practice tailored to health literacy, http://dx.doi.org/10.26190/unsworks/26165, http://aphcri.anu.edu.au/files/Weight%20management%20for%20patients%20in%20general%20practice-Full%20report%20FINAL.pdf
    Conference Posters | 2015
    El-Haddad N; Harris M; Spooner C; Faruqi N; Denney-Wilson E, 2015, 'Readability and content analysis of lifestyle education resources for weight management in Australian general practice', Melbourne, Vol. 3, pp. 16, presented at Australian and New Zealand Obesity Society (ANZOS) Annual Scientific Meeting, Melbourne, 15 October 2015 - 17 October 2015, http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/S40608-016-0097-1
    Conference Presentations | 2015
    Harris M; Faruqi N; Stocks N; Hermiz O; Powell K; El-Haddad N; Spooner C, 2015, 'Limitations experienced by GPs and nurses relating to health literacy and obesity management in primary health services (oral presentation)', presented at 9th Health Services and Policy Research Conference
    Conference Presentations | 2015
    Harris M; Faruqi N; Stocks N; Hermiz O; Powell K; Spooner C; El-Haddad N, 2015, 'Managing health literacy for weight loss in primary health care', presented at 2015 Primary Health Care Research Conference
    Conference Posters | 2015
    Harris MF; Faruqi N; Stocks N; Hermiz O; Spooner C; El-Haddad N, 2015, 'Obesity management in middle age adults with low health literacy in general practice: the better weight management in general practice trial (poster)', Melbourne, presented at Australian and New Zealand Obesity Society Annual Scientific Meeting, 15 October 2015 - 17 October 2015
    Conference Posters | 2014
    El-Haddad N; Faruqi ; Spooner ; Denney ; Harris ; Denney-Wilson E, 2014, 'Improving health literacy for weight management in overweight or obese non-English speaking migrants in primary health care: A systematic review of quantitative and qualitative data', Sydney, Vol. 8, pp. 29, presented at Australian & New Zealand Obesity Society (ANZOS), Sydney, 16 October 2014 - 18 October 2014, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.orcp.2014.10.053
    Conference Posters | 2014
    El-Haddad N; Faruqi N; Spooner C; Denney-Wilson E; Harris MF, 2014, 'The role of ethnicity in health literacy for weight management in migrants in primary health care (poster)', Canberra, presented at 2014 Primary Health Care Research Conference, 23 July 2014 - 25 July 2014, http://www.phcris.org.au/conference/browse.php?id=7868
    Conference Presentations | 2014
    Faruqi N; Stocks N; Denney-Wilson E; Liaw ST; Spooner C; Lloyd J; Laws R; El-Haddad N; Hermiz O; Harris M, 2014, 'Better management of weight in general practice - study protocol', presented at Australian and New Zealand Obesity Society Annual Scientific Meeting, http://anzos-2014.p.asnevents.com.au/schedule/abstract/20445%20http://compare-phc.unsw.edu.au/node/307

  1. UNSW Faculty of Medicine & Health Research Community Engagement Team Award 2022 for Shisha No Thanks
  2. NSW Premier’s Multicultural Communications Awards Campaign of the Year for Shisha No Thanks, 2020
  3. Honorary Associate Lecturer issued by Faculty of Health, University of Technology, Sydney 2015