We are pleased to announce that Mr. Abdullah Y. Shihab has been appointed the Vice President of Membership Management and Community Engagement to join the Board of Directors of the Collaborative Alliance of Research and Education for Nursing Empowerment |CARE4NEt|.

This position focuses on managing and promoting e-MemberSpace, our innovative digital membership space that is designed to provide our members with limited resources with access to an online library (CARE4NEt Cyber Library) and a dynamic forum (Worldwide Research Community Dialogue). This position tends to promote growth and retain membership while fostering meaningful connections within the organization’s community. This role also involves overseeing and enhancing member services, building partnerships that align with CARE4NEt’s mission, expanding global participation, fostering equity in knowledge exchange, and cultivating a sense of belonging among members, particularly in nations where nursing is underrepresented. 

By way of background, Mr. Abdullah is a PhD candidate in Community Health Nursing with a focus on environmental health at the University of Baghdad and a part-time adjunct professor at the University of Tikrit, Iraq. He is actively engaged in multiple research projects integrating climate change science and climate action into healthcare and academia in Iraq. He is the first healthcare professional in the country to conduct research on the impacts of climate change on public health.

Beyond research, he advocates for the incorporation of climate change topics into Iraqi university curricula, working to build connections and bring expertise from leading institutions and organizations to the University of Baghdad. Additionally, as a Planetary Health Campus Ambassador (PHCA) for the Planetary Health Alliance at Johns Hopkins University, he promotes planetary health awareness among students through research, educational programs, community-building, and environmental initiatives.

September 12, 2025