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College of Pharmacy

College of Pharmacy

Faculty Profile

Samina SalimSamina Salim

Associate Professor of Pharmacology
Department of Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Office: 
University of Houston College of Pharmacy
Health 2, Room 5019
4349 Martin Luther King Boulevard
Houston, TX 77204-5037

Contact: ssalim@uh.edu - 713-743-1776

Research:

My life-long goal is to study, contribute and advance an approach that situates the topic of health within a neuro-socioecological context, thus incorporating methodologies and conceptual apparatus from various disciplines to target health from vantage points of basic neuroscience, ethnic and racial contexts of communities and society. As a scientist, I have extensive experience in basic neuroscience work focused on neurobehavioral studies, but my core interests are anchored in the real-life domains of health, social, and human phenomena that could be empirically studied and understood to improve mental health and general well-being. Pursuing this line of work and building on my basic neuroscience expertise, I have initiated large scale population-based self-report data collection work in refugee populations in the greater Houston area. Within this framework, I work extensively on biological, methodological, theoretical, and empirical anchoring of the constructs of social participation, social support, post-migratory living conditions, and trauma susceptibility and resiliency among refugees. My work is presently focused on two areas: basic neuroscience work and the design of longitudinal studies of refugee health delineating the process of post-resettlement change in health in relation to social contexts. Through this work, I have initiated extensive collaborations with the civil society, and national and local non-profit organizations.

  • B.S, Biochemistry, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India
  • M.S., Biochemistry, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India
  • Ph.D., Biochemistry, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India
  • Post-doctoral Fellow, Department of Integrative Biology and Pharmacology, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, TX; and Department of Medical Biochemistry Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

Google Scholar Profile
  • Atrooz F, Alrousan G, Hassan A, Salim S. Early-Life Sleep Deprivation Enhanced Alcohol Consumption in Adolescent Rats. Front Neurosci. 2022 Apr 25;16:856120. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2022.856120. PMID: 35546871; PMCID: PMC9081815.
  • Alrousan G, Hassan A, Pillai AA, Atrooz F, Salim S. Early Life Sleep Deprivation and Brain Development: Insights From Human and Animal Studies. Front Neurosci. 2022 May 3;16:833786. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2022.833786. PMID: 35592259; PMCID: PMC9111737.
  • Atrooz F, Chen TA, Biekman B, Alrousan G, Bick J, Salim S. Displacement and Isolation: Insights from a Mental Stress Survey of Syrian Refugees in Houston, Texas, USA. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Feb 22;19(5):2547. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19052547. PMID: 35270240; PMCID: PMC8909545.
  • Zamil J, Atrooz F, Majd Z, Zeidat S, Alrousan G, Abughosh S, Salim S. Perception Regarding Knowledge of COVID-19 Prevention in a Sample of a Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) Community in Houston, Texas, USA. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Jan 4;19(1):524. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19010524. PMID: 35010783; PMCID: PMC8744562.
  • Dependent Behavioral Deficits in Rats. Environ Toxicol Pharmacol. 2021 Apr 15;86:103660. doi: 10.1016/j.etap.2021.103660. Online ahead of print. PMID: 33865999
  • Aditi Marwaha, Marjan Zakeri, Sujit Sansgiry and Samina Salim. Combined Effect of Different Teaching Strategies on Student Performance in a Large-Enrollment Undergraduate Health Sciences Class. Adv Physiol Educ. 2021 Sep 1;45(3):454-460. doi: 10.1152/advan.00030.2021.PMID: 34124955
  • Samina Salim*. The Stress Of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Beyond the Data. Current Neuropharmacology, 2021 March 10, Online ahead of print
  • Kochi C, Pokkunuri I, Salvi A, Asghar M and Salim S*. Simulated vehicle exhaust exposure (SVEE) in rats impairs renal mitochondrial function. Clinical and Experimental Hypertension https://doi.org/10.1080/10641963.2020.1766059, May 20, 2020.
  • Safiyya Zaidi, Fatin Atrooz , Daniel Valdez, Hesong Liu, Camila Kochi, Richard A. Bond and Samina Salim*. Protective Effect of Propranolol and Nadolol on Social Defeat-Induced Behavioral Impairments in Rats. Neurosci Lett. 2020 Mar 9;725:134892. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2020.134892.
  • Ankita Salvi, Camila Kochi and Samina Salim*. Involvement Of Oxidative Stress And Mitochondrial Mechanisms In Air Pollution-Related Neurobiological Impairments. Neurobiology of Stress. 12 (2020), 100205
  • Atrooz F, and Salim S*. Assessment of sleep and wakefulness pattern in an animalmodel of early life sleep deprivation. International Journal of Advances in Science, Engineering and Technology Vol 8, Issue 1, 2020.
  • Atrooz F, and Salim S*. Sleep deprivation, oxidative stress and inflammation. Adv Protein Chem Struct Biol. 2020;119:309-336. doi: 10.1016/bs.apcsb.2019.03.001. Epub 2019 Apr 24. PubMed PMID: 31997771
  • Atrooz F, Liu H, Salim S*. Stress, psychiatric disorders, molecular targets, and more. Prog Mol Biol Transl Sci. 2019;167:77-105. doi: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2019.06.006. Epub 2019 Jul 13. PubMed PMID: 31601407.
  • Salvi A, Salim S*. Neurobehavioral Consequences of Traffic-Related Air Pollution. Front Neurosci. 2019 Nov 21;13:1232. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2019.01232. eCollection 2019. Review. PubMed PMID: 31824243; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6881276. [Impact Factor: 4.2]
  • Atrooz F, Liu H, Kochi C, Salim S*. Early Life Sleep Deprivation: Role of Oxido-Inflammatory Processes. Neuroscience. 2019 Mar 1;406:22-37. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2019.02.021. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 30826520.
  • Liu H, Patki G, Salvi A, Kelly M, Salim S*. Behavioral effects of early life maternal trauma witness in rats. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2018 Feb 2;81:80-87. doi: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2017.10.013. PubMed PMID: 29074097.
  • Salvi, A, Patki, G, Liu H and Salim S*. Psychological Impact of Vehicle Exhaust Exposure: Insights from an Animal Model. Scientific reports Nature Publishing Group, August 16, 2017 DOI : 10.1038/s41598-017-08859-1 SREP-17.
  • Liu H, Patki G, Salvi, A, Kelly M and Salim S*. Behavioral Effects of Early Life Maternal Trauma Witness In Rats. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2018, February 2; 81:80-87.
  • Liu H, Atrooz F, Salvi A, Salim S*. Behavioral and cognitive impact of early life stress: Insights from an animal model. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2017 Aug 1;78:88-95. doi: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2017.05.015. Epub 2017 May 17. PubMed PMID: 28527907.

Editorial Board Appointments

  • Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology
  • Physiology and Behavior, Elsevier
  • Scientific Reports, Nature Publishing Group

Lectures

  • Invited Speaker, UH-HEART workshop on scientific writing, 06/15/21, University of Houston, TX
  • Invited Speaker, Mental Health Research Consortium Symposium, 09/16/2020, Houston, TX
  • Invited Speaker, NeuroTalk, Osaka, Japan, May 12-14th, 2019.
  • Speaker and session organizer, A Place For Us, Empower Women Conference, University of Houston, March 1st, 2019
  • Invited Speaker, Session Chair. International Conference on future diagnostic therapeutic and theranostics modalities, Interdisciplinary Biotechnology Unit, Aligarh Muslim University, India, Dec 29-31, 2018
  • Panel Chair and Session Organizer, ;Everyday Leadership, Empower Women Conference, University of Houston, March 2nd, 2018
  • Invited Speaker, International Stress and Behavior Society (ISBS) Meeting, May 16th, 2017, St. Petersburg, Russia.
  • Invited Speaker, Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST), August 2-3, 2017, Irbid, Jordan
  • Selected speaker, Assistant Professor Excellence Speaker Series (Apex) organized by University of Houston faculty senate, April 27, 2016.
  • Symposium speaker and session chair, Session title: Stress and Behavior, Budapest, Hungary, June 7-9, 2016, International Society of Behavioral Neuroscience (IBNS) annual meeting.
  • Invited speaker, 4th Global Experts Meeting on Neuropharmacology, September 15-17, 2016, San Antonio, USA
  • Invited speaker, Association of Scientists of Indian Origin (ASIO), Orlando, Florida, January, 2015
  • 1st Global Conference of Biological Psychiatry, New Delhi, India. Why Persistent Psychological Stress Contributes to Anxiety, Depression and Cognitive Impairment? (September, 2014).
  • 1st Annual Graduate Research and Scholarship Projects (GRaSP) Day prep talk, University of Houston, IT IS NOT WHAT YOU SAY, IT IS HOW YOU SAY IT, Facilitated by Samina Salim, 09/12/2014,
  • National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) of the National Institutes of Health, UTMB, Galveston, TX 10/30/13
  • Biology Colloquium, Department of Biology UH Downtown, TX, 02-15-2013
  • Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, 03-18-2013
  • Basic Medical Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, California, 10-06-2011
  • Invited speaker, American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP) annual meeting special panel, Oxidative Stress in Psychiatric Disorders: Implications for Pathophysiology and Pharmacotherapy, Miami, FL, Dec 5-9, 2010
  • Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, University of Toledo, Ohio, June 16th, 2009
  • Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, California, April 16th, 2009
  • Department of Biomedical Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. January 22nd, 2008
  • College of Pharmacy, University of Houston, TX. Sept 11, 2007
  • Department of Integrative Biology and Pharmacology, UTHSC, Houston, TX. Oct, 5th 2007.
  • Emerging Investigators Symposium, sponsored by Houston Center for Clinical and Translational Science, Houston, TX, May 21, 2007
  • Department of Integrative Biology and Pharmacology, UTHSC, Houston, TX. 04-08-02, 02-11-03

Research Recognition

  • 2007 Special citation of the publication Salim, S. and Eikenburg, DC. J. Phamacol. Exptl. Ther. 320:1106-1112, featured in the Nascent Transcripts Emerging concepts from the recent literature, Molecular Interventions, Vol 7(1)
  • 2009 Special citation on SFN publication, "Why exercise makes you less anxious?", New York Times, November, 18, 2009
  • 2010 Research featured in Katy Newspaper, 04/15/2010
  • 2010 Research featured in University of Houston newspaper, The Daily Cougar, 04/02/2010
  • 2010 UH media release covering national recognition, April 2010
  • 2013 Publication entitled, "Grape Powder Supplementation Prevents Oxidative Stress-Induced Anxiety-Like Behavior, Memory Impairment and High Blood Pressure in Rats" selected by The American Society for Nutrition (ASN) for video JN video pubcast
  • 2015 Featured in "Pharmacologist," a newsletter of the ASPET, December issue.
  • 2021 Featured, Author Q&A, Elsevier Inc. 01/01/2021 https://www.journals.elsevier.com/current-research-in-neurobiology/author-interviews/author-qa-understanding-stress-insights-from-rodent-models

Honors

  • 2021 Advisor-in-Residence, LEdBy Foundation (set up with seed funding from the Social Innovation and Change Initiative at the Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University).
  • 2020-23 Inducted, Fulbright Specialist Roster
  • 2019 Inducted, Mading Society, College of Pharmacy, University of Houston
  • 2019 Rho Chi Teaching Excellence Award, College of Pharmacy, University of Houston
  • 2019 Metro Award for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Celebration
  • 2019 Provost's Travel Award, University of Houston
  • 2019 Member, 2019-2020 University of Houston Cougar Chairs Leadership Academy (CCLA)
  • 2017 Excellence in Teaching Award, College of Pharmacy, University of Houston, TX
  • 2017 Induction Phi Beta Delta, Honor Society of International Scholars
  • 2017 Provost's Travel Award, University of Houston
  • 2017 Table leader, American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP) Women Luncheon
  • 2017 Session Chair, International Stress and Behavior Society (ISBS) Meeting, May 16th, 2017, St. Petersburg, Russia.
  • 2016 Symposium session chair, Session title: "Stress and Behavior," Budapest, Hungry, June 7-9, International Society of Behavioral Neuroscience (IBNS). 2016 Council Member, ASIOA
  • 2015 Session chair, Association of Scientists of Indian Origin (ASIO) annual meeting, Orlando, Florida, January 19-20.
  • 2015 Excellence in Research Award, College of Pharmacy, University of Houston, TX

Professional Affiliations

  • Member, Society For Neuroscience (SFN), 2007-present
  • Member, American Society For Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET), 2004-present
  • Member, Association of Scientists of Indian Origin (ASIOA), 2007-present
  • Member, International Society of Behavioral Neuroscience (IBNS), 2015-present
  • Member, Phi Beta Delta, Honor Society for International Scholars
  • Member, Mental Health research Consortium Steering Committee, Houston, Texas