Professor Iyad Afalqa is an interdisciplinary polymath, healthcare executive, business strategist, educator, egalitarian content creator, and curriculum development expert. With a decade of academic teaching coupled with more than 15 years of executive and management experience, he connects business, healthcare, science, public policy, technology, and global affairs to bring a scholar-practitioner perspective to management education.
Afalqa earned his Health Care Executive MBA from the University of California, Irvine’s Paul Merage School of Business, graduating in the top 20% of his class. He received the prestigious Executive Faculty Fellowship Award and completed a Federal Health Care Policy Residency through UC Irvine School of Medicine and School of Business. His scientific education and Jewish studies inform his interdisciplinary approach to leadership, cultural understanding, and organizational challenges.
His executive experience encompasses healthcare administration, business development, operations, medical practice management, and nonprofit leadership. He has served on GE Healthcare advisory teams and studied international healthcare systems. Committed to expanding access for underserved communities, he co-founded Al-Maun Free Clinic in Las Vegas and the Medical Network Devoted to Service (MiNDS) in Southern California.
His academic appointments have included Chapman University, California State University–Dominguez Hills, and other higher education institutes. His teaching and curriculum development span strategic management, international business, organizational leadership, economics, ethics, healthcare policy, nutrition, and interdisciplinary studies. He integrates active learning, multimedia, and artificial intelligence to connect academic concepts with practical applications.
In 2016, Professor Afalqa was appointed Senior Advisor to the campaign of a leading U.S. presidential candidate, contributing expertise in healthcare policy and foreign affairs. He also served as President of the California Democratic Council, overseeing more than 500 Democratic clubs statewide. Professor Afalqa has made numerous media appearances on both local and global platforms. His expertise has been highlighted across prominent international networks, including BBC, CNN, MSNBC, C-SPAN, VOA, CBS News, Fox6, NPR, Al Jazeera, France 24, Sky News, TRT, and Dubai TV. Regionally, he has also been featured on Kuwait TV, Al-Mamlaka (Jordan TV), Al-Arabi, Al-Mashhad, Al-Ghad, and Cairo News. In print media, his work and insights have been covered by leading publications such as the Los Angeles Times, Orange County Register, San Francisco Chronicle, Sacramento Bee, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, UWM Post, CNN Health, and Al Jazeera America.
Professor Afalqa’s educational philosophy combines intellectual rigor with accessibility, inclusion, and opportunity. He values open communication and recognizes students’ individual needs, experiences, and goals. Through research, concept application, and professional insight, he encourages students to question assumptions, explore possibilities, and develop practical solutions. He looks forward to working alongside each student, supporting their progress through challenging coursework while strengthening critical thinking, ethical judgment, and confidence. His mission is to prepare leaders who understand complex systems and apply their knowledge to advance organizations and communities.
Education:
· Executive MBA — University of California, Irvine, 2012.
· Federal Health Care Policy Residency, Washington, DC — UC Irvine, 2011.
· B.S., Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, with Honors — University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, 2003.
· Certificate in Jewish Studies — University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.
Licensures & Certifications:
· Full Credential in Effective College Instruction — Association of College and University Educators (ACUE) and American Council on Education(ACE), 2022.
· Student Success Analytics, Merit Recognition — CSU Chancellor’s Office, 2022.
· Active Learning Classrooms Incorporating Multimedia — CSU Dominguez Hills.
Selected Publications:
· Afalqa, Redrawing the Global Map: The Trump-Musk Alliance and Its Implications (January 2025)
· Afalqa, Charting the Horizons of Artificial Intelligence: Past, Present & Future (December 2024)
· Afalqa, Health Care Reform Constitutionality Battle, Would It End Tomorrow? (2012)
· Afalqa, Attitudes Toward Female Leadership in The Healthcare Industry in Turkey. (2021,
· in progress)
Research & Training:
Strategic management, organizational leadership, comparative healthcare systems, healthcare reform, public policy, artificial intelligence, international business, socioeconomic equity, business ethics, curriculum development, educational content creation, evidence-based instruction, student engagement, learning assessment, emerging technologies, cross-cultural communication, organizational change, and applied approaches to ethical leadership.
