About

Muneer I. Ahmad is the Sol Goldman Clinical Professor of Law at Yale Law School, where he co-directs the Worker and Immigrant Rights Advocacy Clinic (WIRAC). In this role, he and his students represent individuals, groups, and organizations in litigation and non-litigation matters related to immigration, immigrants’ rights, and labor, including intersections among these areas. He has represented immigrants in a range of cases involving labor, immigration, and trafficking, and has also represented a prisoner at Guantanamo Bay for three years. Ahmad has written on topics related to these issues and his scholarship examines the intersections of immigration, race, and citizenship in both legal theory and practice. Prior to Yale, he was a Professor of Law at American University Washington College of Law, and before that, he was a Skadden Fellow and staff attorney at the Asian Pacific American Legal Center in Los Angeles. He clerked for the Hon. William K. Sessions III in the U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont. Ahmad has been recognized for his contributions to legal education and immigrant rights, including being honored by the Connecticut Bar Association with the Tapping Reeve Legal Educator Award.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Surgery
• Internal medicine
• Pathology
• Nuclear medicine
• Anatomy
• Orthodontics
• Virology
• Radiology

Selected publications

• Piloting an Asynchronous Dermatology Clerkship Curriculum to Bridge Student-identified Gaps

  Medical Science Educator · 2026-02-13

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Creating a Longitudinal, Clinical Dermatology Curriculum Based on Student Preferences and Gaps in Learning as Determined by a Needs Assessment

  Medical Science Educator · 2024-10-24 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Image representation for cutaneous drug reactions in darker skin types in undergraduate medical education resources

  Archives of Dermatological Research · 2024-12-12

  letter
  PublisherDOI

• Financial Toxicity Among Patients With Advanced Solid Tumors Participating in Early-Phase Clinical Trials

  JCO Oncology Practice · 2024-12-11 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  PURPOSE Financial toxicity (FT) adversely influences patient quality of life and is a barrier to clinical trial enrollment. Early-phase clinical trials (EPCTs) recruit patients who may have high baseline FT and require additional visits and procedures, potentially increasing FT. METHODS In this prospective survey study, we sought to assess FT at baseline and after 2 months among patients with advanced solid malignancies participating in EPCTs. Participants were age 18 years and older, were English-speaking, and were treated at the Yale Cancer Center (Yale) and the Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai (Mount Sinai). At the time of consent and 2 months later, patients completed a sociodemographic questionnaire as well as the 11-item validated Comprehensive Score for Financial Toxicity (COST) instrument. Primary outcomes were baseline COST score and change in COST score from baseline to 2 months. Lower score is associated with higher FT. RESULTS One hundred forty-six patients completed survey 1. Mean age was 61.5 years and 50.7% were male. The most common histologies were lung (17.8%), colorectal (16.4%), and breast (12.3%) cancers. Mean baseline COST score was 22.12 (standard deviation, 8.01). FT was associated with being a primary wage earner ( P = .044) and inversely associated with age ( P = .025). Seventy-one patients completed survey 2. Among 71 patients who completed both surveys, there was no significant difference in COST score between surveys 1 and 2 ( P = .28). Race, ethnicity, education, and household income were not associated with baseline COST score or change in FT. CONCLUSION Moderate FT was reported at baseline and on trial among EPCT participants. No change in FT was observed between time points. Additional efforts should be made to decrease FT associated with EPCT participation to maximize access to novel therapies.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The frequency of dizziness among mild to moderate traumatic brain injury patient

  Foundation University Journal of Rehabilitation Sciences · 2024-01-31

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the leading factors of disability and death in population after any vehicle accident. Dizziness is one of the common complaints caused by TBI affecting their normal activities of life. Objective: To determine the frequency of dizziness in mild to moderate traumatic brain injury patients. Methods: The descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 78 patients, after receiving ethical permission from University. The sample was collected through nonprobability convenience sampling technique. The patients were selected according to the designed inclusion criteria in which male and female patients of 20 to 60 years of age with mild to moderate traumatic brain injury having GCS score of 9-15 were enrolled in the study. The dizziness handicap inventory was used for assessment of dizziness. The data was analyzed using software of SPSS version 26 in which frequency and percentage were determined. Results: Among 78 patients, 44.23±12.42 was the mean age, 57.7% were male and 42.3% were female. Furthermore, 11.5% were mildly handicapped, 47.4% were moderately handicapped and 41% were severely handicapped due to dizziness. Conclusion: It was concluded that dizziness is highly prevalent among mild to moderate TBI patients that made them moderate to severely handicap in performing their normal activities of life.

  PublisherDOI

• Teledermatology Platforms Usage and Barriers: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of United States-Based Dermatologists Pre- and Post-COVID-19

  Journal of Drugs in Dermatology · 2024-01-01 · 4 citations

  article

  BACKGROUND: During the global COVID-19 pandemic, dermatologists increasingly adopted teledermatology to facilitate patient care. OBJECTIVE: To identify differences in teledermatology platform usage and functionality among dermatologists as a means of understanding the potential effect on virtual healthcare access. METHODS: Results from a 2021 cross-sectional pre-validated survey distributed to actively practicing United States dermatologists were analyzed based on timepoint when teledermatology was adopted relative to COVID-19, previous/currently used platforms, self-reported platform functionality, and barriers to teledermatology implementation. Analysis was performed using chi-square and odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for categorical data and single-factor analysis of variance (ANOVA) with post-hoc Tukey-Kramer for continuous data. P<.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Early adopters (EAs) trialed significantly more (2.3 vs 1.9, P=0.02) platforms than (post) COVID adopters (CAs) before choosing their current platform. More EAs reported using platforms capable of uploading images (P=.002), required a mobile application (P=.006), and allowed staff to join patient encounters (P<.001). While poor image quality was the most cited barrier to implementation, CAs and non-adaptors (NAs) were materially more likely to cite it as their largest barrier to teledermatology. LIMITATIONS: The retrospective nature of the study and potential response bias. CONCLUSION: Dermatologists' use of teledermatology materially correlates with their teledermatology-adoption timepoint, and future usage may be materially impacted by the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency. Future studies should aim at how implementation and barriers to teledermatology usage may impact access to care. J Drugs Dermatol. 2024;23(2): doi:10.36849/JDD.7819e.

  PublisherDOI

• Needs assessment and patient-guided development of a video-based diabetic retinopathy patient education tool

  Health Education Journal · 2024-06-12 · 4 citations

  article

  Objective: To gain retina physicians’ and diabetic retinopathy (DR) patients’ perspectives on needs and opportunities in DR education, and then develop and pilot test an educational video. Design: This study utilised qualitative interview data for video creation, and interview and survey data for assessment. Setting: This study was conducted in a single large academic medical centre. Method: We conducted semi-structured interviews with attending retina physicians and DR patients (Cohort A) which were coded for themes about needs in DR patient education. Using these interviews, we designed and piloted a 6-minute user-centred animated video among a second patient cohort (Cohort B), who completed post-intervention interviews. Results: Four physicians and 14 DR patients participated in the study. Themes from Cohort A included accessible information, early management, lifestyle factors and emotional context. Physician themes included effective communication, visual information delivery and individual-level diabetes management. Cohort B commented on the subsequently created video’s improved accessibility, engagement and supplementation of their existing DR knowledge. Conclusion: Physicians and patients showed an interest in video education and identified unique educational needs. We used these insights to create a video that demonstrated positive patient uptake. Close attention to retina physicians’ and DR patients’ perspectives can offer a valuable approach in developing materials to increase patients’ health knowledge. Within the context studied, videos may be more accessible and engaging than the use of traditional print-based education materials.

  PublisherDOI

• The impact of COVID-19 on the dermatologic care of nonmelanoma skin cancers among solid organ transplant recipients

  JAAD International · 2023-08-13

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  To the Editor: The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the dermatologic care of solid organ transplant recipients, who are at increased risk of developing both skin cancers and COVID-19 due to their immunocompromised state.1Vajdic C.M. van Leeuwen M.T. Cancer incidence and risk factors after solid organ transplantation.Int J Cancer. 2009; 125: 1747-1754https://doi.org/10.1002/ijc.24439Crossref PubMed Scopus (324) Google Scholar,2Hajibaratali B. Amini H. Dalili N. et al.Clinical outcomes of kidney recipients with COVID-19 (COVID-19 in kidney recipients).Transpl Immunol. 2023; 76101772https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trim.2022.101772Crossref PubMed Scopus (1) Google Scholar Given dermatologists’ concern of skin disease progression due to pandemic-related delays in care,3Asabor E.N. Bunick C.G. Cohen J.M. Perkins S.H. Patient and physician perspectives on teledermatology at an academic dermatology department amid the COVID-19 pandemic.J Am Acad Dermatol. 2021; 84: 158-161https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaad.2020.09.029Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (22) Google Scholar we sought to quantify the impact of the pandemic on the surveillance and treatment of nonmelanoma skin cancers (NMSCs) among transplant recipients. A retrospective chart review was conducted at Yale University of all solid organ transplant recipients receiving immunosuppressive therapy that were seen by dermatology between January 1, 2019, and December 31, 2021. Data were analyzed using SPSS (version 28.0.0). In total, 699 patients were included in this study (Table I). During the 3 years, 1217 biopsies were performed, of which 557 were malignant (Table II). There was an increased number of biopsies in 2020 despite a nearly complete lack of in-person visits during early pandemic lockdown from March to May of 2020. Of the NMSCs diagnosed, 8, 16, and 22 of them were found to have high risk features during the years 2019, 2020, and 2021, respectively. There was a significantly higher proportion of high risk malignancies in 2021 (the year after pandemic disruption of care) compared with 2019 (P = .02) (Table II). When analyzed by subtype, this significance was found among basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) (P = .04), but not squamous cell carcinomas (P = .30).Table IPatient demographics and clinical characteristicsMean age, y, (SD)59.14 (13.7)Gender Female260 (37.2%) Male439 (62.8%)Ethnicity Hispanic or Latino101 (14.4%) Non-Hispanic589 (84.3%) Unknown/other9 (1.3%)Race American Indian or Alaska Native11 (1.6%) Asian24 (3.4%) Black or African American107 (15.3%) Caucasian or White449 (64.2%) Other/unknown108 (15.5%)Transplant organ Heart113 (16.2%) Intestine1 (0.1%) Kidney375 (53.6%) Liver166 (23.7%) Lung9 (1.3%) Multiple organs35 (5.0%)Immunosuppressive treatment Azathioprine46 (6.6%) Belatacept75 (10.7%) Cyclosporine106 (15.2%) Everolimus5 (0.7%) Mycophenolate mofetil/mycophenolic acid (Myfortic)414 (59.2%) Prednisone405 (57.9%) Sirolimus/rapamycin37 (5.3%) Tacrolimus510 (73.0%) Open table in a new tab Table IIBiopsies and cutaneous malignancies by yearPatient demographics and clinical characteristics201920202021TotalBiopsies3904343931217Malignancies∗χ2 analysis: proportion of biopsies found to be malignant.170197190557 SCC605859177 SCCIS627576213 BCC445952155 Other45312Malignancies with high risk features†χ2 analysis: proportion of skin cancers found to have high risk features. High risk features were defined as: aggressive features on histology (SCC: infiltrating, acantholytic, and poorly differentiated; BCC: infiltrating and micronodular), perineural invasion, depth of invasion beyond subcutis, and/or metastasis.8 (4.7%)16 (8.1%)22 (11.6%)46 (8.3%) SCC7121433 BCC14813Cancers treated with Mohs micrographic surgery‡χ2 analysis: proportion of skin cancers that received this treatment.62 (36.5%)67 (34.0%)82 (43.2%)211 (37.9%)Cancers treated at time of biopsy‡χ2 analysis: proportion of skin cancers that received this treatment.18 (10.6%)43 (21.8%)36 (18.9%)97 (17.4%) SCC79623 SCCIS5161233 BCC6181841 H area1225 M area93214 L area8383278BCC, Basal cell carcinoma; SCC, squamous cell carcinoma; SCCIS, squamous cell carcinoma in situ.∗ χ2 analysis: proportion of biopsies found to be malignant.† χ2 analysis: proportion of skin cancers found to have high risk features. High risk features were defined as: aggressive features on histology (SCC: infiltrating, acantholytic, and poorly differentiated; BCC: infiltrating and micronodular), perineural invasion, depth of invasion beyond subcutis, and/or metastasis.‡ χ2 analysis: proportion of skin cancers that received this treatment. Open table in a new tab BCC, Basal cell carcinoma; SCC, squamous cell carcinoma; SCCIS, squamous cell carcinoma in situ. To determine trends that occurred after the initial COVID-19 lockdown, the time periods of March to December of each year were analyzed. There was no significant difference in proportion of biopsies found to be malignant (P = .66) or proportion treated with Mohs micrographic surgery (P = .31). However, there was a significant increase in the proportion of NMSCs treated at the time of biopsy in 2020 (P < .001); further analysis found this increase among squamous cell carcinoma in situ (P = .01) and BCC (P = .02) subtypes, and skin cancers in low risk “L” anatomic regions (P < .001) as defined by Mohs micrographic surgery appropriate use criteria.4Connolly S.M. Baker D.R. et al.Ad Hoc Task ForceAAD/ACMS/ASDSA/ASMS 2012 appropriate use criteria for Mohs micrographic surgery: a report of the American Academy of Dermatology, American College of Mohs Surgery, American Society for Dermatologic Surgery Association, and the American Society for Mohs Surgery.J Am Acad Dermatol. 2012; 67: 531-550https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaad.2012.06.009Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (337) Google Scholar When comparing NMSCs biopsied between January and March of 2019 versus 2020, there was a significant delay to Mohs micrographic surgery in 2020 (126.0 vs 53.5 days, P = .03), but there was no significant difference in postoperative defect size (P = .34) or number of stages (P = .39) (Supplementary Table I, available via Mendeley at https://data.mendeley.com/datasets/kjtdt5khtg/1). A recent study found no difference in rates of NMSC during the pandemic but did not comment on high risk features.5Saranath R. Fernandez B. Gomez J. et al.A retrospective analysis of rates of dermatology follow-up and new skin cancer diagnosis among solid organ transplant recipients during the COVID-19 pandemic.JAAD Int. 2023; 10: 53-54https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdin.2022.10.009Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (1) Google Scholar In our study of transplant recipients, we found a significant increase in NMSCs with high risk features in 2021; this trend was observed for both BCC and squamous cell carcinoma but only reached statistical significance for BCC. It is not clear if the increased incidence of high risk cancers was due to delayed treatment, increased detection, or other unknown factors. Of note, 2 skin cancers that were treated with electrodessication at the time of biopsy in March 2020 subsequently recurred, raising the concern that lack of definitive excision increased risk of recurrence. Limitations include the single institution and retrospective nature of this study. Larger, multiinstitutional studies could further assess the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on dermatologic care of transplant recipients. None disclosed.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Teledermatology: Patient and Provider Satisfaction

  Updates in clinical dermatology · 2023-01-01

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Telemedicine Versus Teledermatology Usage and Perception Among US-Based Physicians: A Survey Study

  Journal of Drugs in Dermatology · 2023-10-01 · 1 citations

  editorial1st authorCorresponding

  The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked an increase in focus and use of telemedicine in several patient care settings. This survey study was distributed to actively practicing US-based physicians and examines telehealth use 2 years after the beginning of the COVID pandemic from a physician&rsquo;s perspective. Notable findings include telehealth benefits which include increased patient access and the ability to work from home. A continued drawback in telehealth visits is the limitations on a complete physical examination, a drawback that was emphasized by the dermatology community. While this study sheds light on the developing nature of telehealth, it is limited by its retrospective nature and sample size. Future research with larger sample sizes focusing on economic incentives and telemedicine training may help to overcome barriers to using telehealth.&nbsp; J Drugs Dermatol. 2023;22(11):e4-e8&nbsp; &nbsp; doi:10.36849/JDD.7386e.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Michael Alperovich

  Yale University

  24 shared

• Omar Allam

  Yale University

  23 shared

• Ludmila Chandler

  South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust

  23 shared

• Kitae E. Park

  Johns Hopkins University

  20 shared

• John A. Persing

  Yale University

  18 shared

• Robin T. Wu

  Chang Gung Memorial Hospital

  16 shared

• Andrew T. Timberlake

  NYU Langone Health

  16 shared

• Navid Pourtaheri

  Yale University

  15 shared

Labs

• Worker and Immigrant Rights Advocacy ClinicPI

Awards & honors

• Tapping Reeve Legal Educator Award by the Connecticut Bar As…