Ynesse (E-Ness) Abdul-Malak

Dr. Ynesse (E-Ness) Abdul-Malak was born in Haiti and immigrated to the United States at the age of thirteen. Dr. Abdul-Malak obtained an AAS degree in nursing and practiced as a nurse in Staten Island, NY; therein after moving to Lebanon with her husband and family, Dr. Abdul-Malak obtained a BS in Environmental Health and a Master’s degree in Public Health at the American University of Beirut. She then moved to Syracuse and worked as a research scientist at Upstate Medical University. She then enrolled at Syracuse University and obtained a Master’s and PhD in Medical Sociology.

Dr. Ynesse is an award-winning public sociologist. Her work focuses on understanding how social structures impact the aging processes of individuals over the course of one’s life-with a special emphasis on U.S Caribbean immigrants.  She is a co-editor of Grandparenting in the U.S. (2016), with Baywood Publishing and co-authored, Grandparenting Children with Disabilities (2020) with Springer International Publishing.    She has published extensively on racial health disparities and grandparenting. Her latest publication is on social determinants of health affecting stroke outcomes.  In addition to researching and publishing, she enjoys teaching courses on race, aging, gender, immigration, medical sociology, and research methodology.