Dr. Munjireen Sifat is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. Her research uses community-engaged, mixed-methods approaches to address tobacco and nicotine use, including risk reduction strategies, with the goal of reducing cancer risk and improving survivorship outcomes among populations affected by adverse social drivers of health. She has been published in the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, the Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, and JMIR Formative Research.
Munjireen completed her PhD in Behavioral and Community Health from the University of Maryland College Park, an MPH with a focus in Health Promotion from George Washington University, and a she has a BS in Neuropsychology from Pennsylvania State University. She completed her post-doctoral training at the Stephenson Cancer Center, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center within the Health Promotion Research Center.
Education:
Degree-Granting Institutions
Master of Public Health, Health Promotion
The George Washington University, Washington, DC
Global Health Certificate
The University of Maryland, College Park, MD
Doctor of Philosophy, Behavioral and Community Health
The University of Maryland, College Park, MD
Postgraduate Training
Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Health Promotion Research Center / Stephenson Cancer Center, The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Funding:
Current:
A Randomized Factorial Trial of Varenicline with Nicotine Lozenges and a Smartphone Medication Adherence Intervention to Promote Smoking Cessation.
Principal Investigator: Kendzor, DE | Co-Investigator: Sifat, MS
Funding Agency/Grant Number: National Cancer Institute R01CA298165-01
Completed (Selected):
From Screening to Support: A Multi-Method Analysis of HRSN Integration in Cancer Care.
Principal Investigator: Sifat, MS | Co-PI: Cammy, R.
Funding Agency: Provost's Pilot Clinical Research Award, Thomas Jefferson University
Total Direct Costs: $40,000
Funding Period: 2025 - 2026
Project E-Shift: A Harm Reduction Intervention for Chronically Unhoused Adults Who Smoke.
Principal Investigator: Sifat, MS | Co-Investigators: Weinstein, L, Wen, KY.
Funding Agency: American Cancer Society Institutional Review Grant
Total Direct Costs: $50,000
Funding Period: 2024 – July 2026
Driving Equitable Cancer Patient Outcomes by Addressing the Social Determinants of Health.
Principal Investigator: Sifat, MS | Co-PI: Huesser, M.
Funding Agency: American Cancer Society
Total Direct Costs: $75,000
Funding Period: 2023 – 2025
Select Publications:
Sifat, M., Banks, J., Phan, L., Wen, K.Y., Barta, J.A., Melillo, R., & Juon, H.S. (2026). Cigarette smoking and E-cigarette use in greater Philadelphia: Prevalence compared to national data and local predictors of use status. Preventive Medicine Reports.
Boozary LK, Chen M, Frank-Pearce SG, Hébert ET, Chen S, Alexander AC, Sifat MS, et al. (2026). Discrimination experiences are associated with same-day and next-day smoking among adults with low socio-economic status trying to quit: A secondary analysis of data from a randomized clinical trial. Addiction. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.70419
Sifat, M., Chiang, S., Montour, T. *, Tate, C. *, Kendzor, D. (2026). Social Determinant Correlates of Self-Rated Health Among Newly Resettled Afghan Refugees in Oklahoma City. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health.
Sifat, M.S., Boozary, L.K., Le, T.N., McQuoid, J., Zaring-Hinkle, B., Tonkin, S., Benson, L., Mao, B., Ogunsanya, M., Shao, R., Cohn, A.M., Shortle, A., Kendzor, D.E. (2025). Mental Health and Beliefs About Abortion Access Following Changes to Reproductive Healthcare Laws in 2022: Findings from Oklahoma. BMC Public Health, 25(4384). DOI: 10.1186/s12889-025-25623-7
Song, Y., Sifat, M., Phan, L.. (2025). Sociodemographic Correlates of Cancer-Related Beliefs Among Chinese Speaking Adults in Greater Philadelphia. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-025-02565-9
Sifat, M., Alexander, A.C., Businelle, M.S., Frank-Pearce, S.G., Boozary, L.K., Wagener, T.L., Ahluwalia, J.S., & Kendzor, D.E. (2024). E-Cigarette Switching and Financial Incentives to Promote Combustible Cigarette Cessation Among Adults Accessing Shelter Services: A Pilot Study. Drug Abuse and Dependence Reports.
Sifat, M., Kenney, S., Chiang, S., Boozary, L., Ogunsanya, M., Alexander, A., & Kendzor, D. (2024). The Association of Migration-Related Stress with Poor Mental Health Among Recently Resettled Afghan Refugees. Journal of Migration and Health.
Sifat, M., Hébert, E.T., Ahluwalia, J.S., Businelle, M.S., Waring, J.J.C., Frank-Pearce, S.G., Bryer, C., Benson, L., Madison, S., Planas, L.G., Baranskaya, I., & Kendzor, D.E. (2023). Varenicline Combined With Oral Nicotine Replacement Therapy and Smartphone-Based Medication Reminders for Smoking Cessation: Feasibility Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Form Res, 7:e48857. doi: 10.2196/48857
Sifat, M., Huq, M., Baig, M., Tasnim, N., & Green, K. (2023). An Examination of Barriers to Accessing Mental Health Care, and Their Association with Depression, Stress, Suicidal Ideation, and Wellness in a Bangladeshi University Student Sample. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(2):904. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20020904
Sifat, M.S., Ehlke, S.J., Ogunsanya, M., Frank-Pearce, S.G., Boozary, L.K., Alexander, A.C., Businelle, M.S., & Kendzor, D.E. (2023). Greater Discrimination Frequency and Lower Distress Tolerance Are Associated with Mental Health Problems Among Racially Privileged and Minoritized Adults Accessing an Urban Day Shelter. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-022-01496-z