Public Affairs

Dr. Ahmad Alsaber, assistant professor of management at the American University of Kuwait (AUK), and his team successfully secured a grant from KFAS for their research project titled “Assessing the relationship between air pollutants on rheumatoid arthritis activity score.” This project aims to delve into the connections between air pollution exposure and the disease activity score (DAS28) among rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients in Kuwait. 

Dr. Alsaber's expertise in machine learning, particularly the Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) approach, will be instrumental in analyzing the data spanning from 2013 to 2023. The project also utilizes advanced statistical methods such as the vector error correction model (VECM) and multiple imputation (MI) techniques to ensure robustness in the analysis.

The research project focuses on key air pollutants including SO2, NO2, PM10, CO, and O3, studying their impact on RA patients' disease activity scores. By employing Granger causality tests, Impulse Response Functions (IRFs) analysis, cointegration tests, unit root tests, and panel VECM, Dr. Alsaber aims to establish both static and dynamic causality between air pollutant emissions and RA disease activity scores. 

This research not only contributes to advancing scientific knowledge but also holds practical implications for policymakers. The results obtained from this study will be pivotal in informing health and environmental policies in Kuwait, aiding policymakers from the Ministry of Health and the Environmental Public Authority in formulating strategies to manage RA disease activity scores effectively through interventions based on air quality indices (AQI). 

Dr. Alsaber’s project represents a significant step towards bridging the gap between environmental factors and public health outcomes in Kuwait. His research epitomizes the ethos of AUK's faculty, who not only excel in their academic pursuits but also actively contribute to the betterment of society.
 
 
 

Dr. Ahmad Alsaber