PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Postdoctoral fellowship– Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA

Mental Health Department, Bloomberg School of Public Health • Nov 2023 – present  

• Contributed to the scientific work of the “Digital Well-Being in Saudi Arabia”
• Collaborate with the Digital Wellbeing team in Saudi Arabia to conduct a rapid literature review on clinical treatments for digital well-being and digital addictions
• Contribute to other subprojects, mainly focusing on stakeholder engagement and preparations for developing an epidemiological survey
• Demonstrate leadership by leading a systematic review and meta-analysis
• Collaborated with the Digital Wellbeing team to ensure the wide dissemination of research findings, facilitating their integration into practice and policy discussions

Guest Researcher – Copenhagen, Denmark

Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences University of Copenhagen • June 2023 – present

• Collaborating with Denmark Technical University to build a machine learning model to predict prenatal outcomes from the activity tracker data.
• Collaborating with Aarhus University to explore the postpartum physical activity, sleep, and sedentary time pattern among the FitMum cohort.

Consultant – Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA

Mental Health Department, Bloomberg School of Public Health • May 2023 – Jul 2023   

• Collaborate with the Digital Wellbeing team in Saudi Arabia to conduct a rapid literature review on clinical treatments for digital well-being and digital addictions
• Conduct comprehensive reading and data extraction from research articles to gather relevant information
• Collaborated with the Digital Wellbeing team to ensure the wide dissemination of research findings, facilitating their integration into practice and policy discussions

Consultant – Hawaz Co. Ltd, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia                                                                          

Hawaz Co. Ltd • Aug 2022 – Dec 2022

• Conducted and supervised scientific research, performed statistical analysis, and designed studies to enhance Hawaz’s ability to fulfill contracts with their clients effectively

PhD student-Public Health and Epidemiology – Copenhagen, Denmark                

University of Copenhagen • June 2018 – Feb 2023

• My PhD is part of a randomized controlled trial (RCT); FitMum: Fitness for Good Health of Mother and Child (for more information, https://fitmum.ku.dk/)
• In FitMum-RCT, we explore how to increase physical activity among pregnant women by offering structured supervised exercise training or motivational counseling on physical activity supported by health technology throughout pregnancy.
• My PhD aims to examine the effects of physical activity interventions during pregnancy on physical activity levels, sleep, and sedentary time. Also, to explore the 24-hour movement behavior during pregnancy.
• In FitMum, I planned and performed the activity tracker data management. I contributed to developing the FitMum study protocol, the statistical analysis plan, the implementation of the study, the data collection, and data analysis. Also, I participated in writing scientific papers with PhD and master’s students affiliated with FitMum.
• I am extensively focusing on measuring and validating physical behavior using the consumer activity tracker (Garmin Vivosport), physical activity & sleep questionnaires, and the doubly labeled water techniques.
• I heavily use R to manage the enormous data generated by the research project -especially the activity tracker-and conduct the statistical analysis, and visually present the result.

Lecturer – Riyadh, Saudi Arabia                                                                                     

Saudi Electronic University Public Health Dept. • June 2017- Oct 2023

• Deliver and contribute to the development of academic courses
• Develop high-quality teaching and learning materials to support the delivery of the modules/programs
• Deliver innovative teaching, e-learning, and e-assessment strategies
• Support and contribute to research, professional practice, and other scholarly activities
• Carry out all administrative responsibilities and participate in quality assurance processes

head of department- Imported Food control – Riyadh, Saudi Arabia      

Saudi Food and Drug Authority • Aug 2014 – May 2017

• In collaboration with the executive manager of imported food control, I developed a monthly descriptive statistics report on the imported food
• Manage and monitor the services provided by the department to all stakeholders (e.g., food companies and elated government agencies)
• Work closely with the information technology department to achieve complete automation of the imported food electronic registration system.
• Participate in the food sector scientific committee to assess novel food, health, and nutrition claims before registration according to the standards set by the Saudi Food & Drug Authority (SFDA).

Dietitian/ Senior Dietitian – Riyadh, Saudi Arabia                                                             

Saudi Food and Drug Authority • Jan 2009- July 2014

• Part of the team that established and developed an electronic imported food system at the SFDA
• Conduct internal research analysis using the imported food system datasets to help the decision-makers and the regulators to make informed designs.
• Participate in the Healthy Food National Initiative that aimed to reduce sugar, fat, and salt content in food and to enable the food consumer to understand food labeling.
• Develop, coordinate, and maintain compliance processes related to ingredients, product formulas, packaging, labels, labeling claims, specifications, and nutrition information.

Intern Dietitian – Riyadh, Saudi Arabia                                                       

King Faisal Specialist Hospital, King Fahad Medical City, and Alamal Medical Complex • Oct 2007 – Sep 2008

• Provided nutrition consultations to outpatients with weight and nutrition-related health problems
• Provided nutrition consultations in the hospital to ensure that hospitalized patients were prescribed an appropriate type of diet

Education

Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark • June 2018- June 2023

PhD in Public health and Epidemiology                           

School of Public Health, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, United States of America • Sep 2010 – Mar 2013          

Master of Public Health- Nutrition

Community Health- Clinical Nutrition                                           
College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia • Sep 2002 – Oct 2007

Bachelor of Applied Medical Science

Research Projects

• The Teen Food and Development Study (TeenFADS), Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, USA, Sep 2012
• Diet and Nutrition Survey in Riyadh City”, Saudi Food and Drug Authority, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Nov 2013
• Fitness for good health of mother and child, FitMum RCT, Copenhagen University, Denmark, Sep 2018- June 2022
• Digital Wellbeing in Saudi Arabia, JOHNS Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA, Mar 2023- Nov 2024

PUBLICATIONS (* shared first author)

1. Alomairah, S.A.; Knudsen, S.d.P.; Roland, C.B et al. Effects of Two Physical Activity Interventions on Sleep and Sedentary Time in Pregnant Women.  J. Environ. Res. Public Health2023, 20, 5359. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20075359
2. Roland, C.B., Knudsen, S.d., Alomairah, S.A. et al. Effects of prenatal exercise on gestational weight gain, obstetric and neonatal outcomes: FitMum randomized controlled trial. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 23, 214 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-023-05507-7
3. Alomairah, S.A, Knudsen, S., Roland, C.B.et al. Methods to estimate energy expenditure, physical activity, and sedentary time in pregnant women: a Doubly Labelled Water validation study. Journal for the Measurement of Physical Behaviour. https://doi.org/10.1123/jmpb.2022-0033
4. Knudsen, S., Roland, C.B., Alomairah, S.A. et al. Physical activity in pregnancy: a mixed methods process evaluation of the FitMum randomised controlled trial interventions. BMC Public Health 22, 2283 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-14717-1
5. Knudsen, S. P., Alomairah, S. A*., Roland, C. B. et al. Effects of Structured Supervised Exercise Training or Motivational Counseling on Pregnant Women’s Physical Activity Level: FitMum – Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of medical Internet research, 24(7), e37699. https://doi.org/10.2196/37699
6. Roland CB, Knudsen SP, Alomairah SA*, et al. Structured supervised exercise training or motivational counselling during pregnancy on physical activity level and health of mother and offspring: FitMum study protocol. BMJ Open. 2021;11(3):e043671. (2021). 1136/bmjopen-2020-043671
7. Krøner, F. H., Knudsen, S. D. P., Roland, C. B., Alomairah, S. A., & Molsted, S. (2020). Validity and reliability of the Danish version of the pregnancy physical activity questionnaire to assess levels of physical activity during pregnancy. The Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine, 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1080/14767058.2020.1856807

• coming publications

1. The effects of maternal exercise interventions during pregnancy on breast milk composition 7-14 days postpartum (in review).
2. Exercise behavior and psychosocial factors in pregnant women: secondary analyses of the FitMum randomized controlled trial promoting prenatal physical activity (in review).

computational and statistical Skills

• Drafted, finalized, and submitted the statistical analysis plan (SAP) in collaboration with FitMum researchers to https://www.clinicaltrials.gov
• Write R code and functions to clean and prepare various activity tracker data (e.g., physical activity, sleep, sedentary time).
• Develop R code and functions to calculate adherence to the intervention protocol.
• Use a High-Performance Computing environment to manage and prepare activity tracker data for analysis.
• Perform multiple imputations, including machine learning techniques, to predict the missing activity tracker data using R (in collaboration with a biostatistician).
• Perform longitudinal data and repeated measurements analysis of randomized controlled trials using R.
• Present the result of complex statistical analysis visually using R.

teaching and supervision activities

• Taught undergraduate courses at the Saudi Electronic University for two academic semesters (fundamental concepts in food and nutrition, social science in health, health behavior, and health ethics).
• Collaborate with Ph.D. and master students affiliated with FitMum to perform data management and statistical analysis and contribute to the writing of their scientific publications.

Professional Development Activities

• Project Management Professional (PMP) certificate • May 2009
• Certificate of training in adult weight management, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics June 2012
• Data Scientist with R, DataCamp June 2022
• Digital health, Harvard Online Sep 2022
• Artificial Intelligence in Health Care, online, Massachusetts Institute of Technology April 2023

presentation and science Communication participation

• Audit and co-publisher of an Arabic book titled “Healthy cooking for diabetics,” 2009
• Short course “Nutrition and Sport,” presented at King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Oct 2016.
• Ajal electronic newspaper “Tax and public health,”12, 2017.
• Guest in “Your health show” talks about nutrition for a diabetic patient, Almajd TV, April 2017.
• Wrote an article in Ajal electronic newspaper titled “Weight management and exercise during Ramadan” on May.22, 2017.
• Wrote an article in Ajal electronic newspaper titled “Saudi eating habits” 4 series, July-Oct 2017.
• Short course “Nutrition and Sport,” presented at Abdullatif Jamel Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Oct 2017.
• A member of the Communication and Membership Committee in the International Society for the Measurement of Physical Behaviour, Sep 2020- present.
• Founder and content writer of Eqal podcast (Arabic podcast about science, research, and innovation), Dec 2020, present.

Language Skills

• Arabic (Native)
• English (Professional working proficiency)

Computer Skills

• Microsoft Office
• R
• SAS
• Tableau