Rita Farah, PhD, MPH, PharmD

Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine
Lead Epidemiologist
Medical Toxicology Faculty

P.O. Box 800699
Charlottesville, VA 22908-0699
Phone: (434) 924-5185
Fax: (434) 971-8657
E-mail: wwv3zr@virginia.edu

Dr. Rita Farah is our department’s first non-physician faculty member. Dr. Farah received her Ph.D. in Epidemiology from Paris-East Créteil University, and her Pharm.D. and Master of Public Health from Lebanese University. She served as epidemiologist at the Ministry of Public Health in Beirut from 2012 to 2020. Dr. Farah served as an instructor at several universities in Lebanon, teaching epidemiology, biostatistics and research methodology between 2015 and 2020.

Dr. Farah subsequently completed her international fellowship in clinical toxicology at Emory University School of Medicine. She was hired by the University of Virginia Department of Emergency Medicine – Division of Medical Toxicology in 2022 where she has served as the UVA Health’s Blue Ridge Poison Center’s epidemiologist. She serves a dual role as the lead epidemiologist in the Division of Medical Toxicology and as the lead epidemiologist for the University of Virginia’s Department of Student Health & Wellness. She has a rapidly growing list of publications that have made national news and has a growing international reputation.