Education

• Phd, Health and Social Care, Sheffield Hallam University, Health and Social Care, UK, 2020-2023
• MPH (Epibio), Advanced Epidemiology and Statistics, University of Copenhagen, Denmark, 2007-2008
• MPH, Public Health, University of Sheffield, UK, 2006-2007
• MSc, Cultural Anthropology, Quaid-I-Azam University, Islamabad, 1995-1997

Training

• Strengthening Health Systems and Participatory Engagement; Sheffield, UK, University of Sheffield, UK, August 1 -September 30, 2010
• Early Career Researcher Innovation Workshop; Accra, Ghana, University of Sheffield, UK, 11-15 April 2011
• Midlevel Management Program (MDP), Save the Children, UK, 26-29 July 2010
• Pandemic Preparedness; Hanoi, Vietnam, Save the Children, May 2010
• Taking the Lead in Financial Management; Bangkok, Thailand , Save the Children, UK , 18-20 January 2010 
• Communication research; Copenhagen Denmark, Department of international health, University of Copenhagen, May 2008
• Data sharing and proposal development; London, UK, Save the children, USA, 24-26 April-2008
• Health economics & cost- effectiveness; Karachi, Pakistan, Agha khan university, March 21- April 30 2005
• Ethical issues in health research in developing countries; Karachi, Pakistan,  Agha khan university, 14-18 August 2003
• Acceptability and community mobilization (data analysis workshop); Kathmandu, Nepal, International Vaccine Institute, Seoul, Republic of Korea, 24 April-5 May 2003 
• Typhoid socio-behavioral & economic study research tool development, International Vaccine Institute, Seoul, Republic of Korea, 18 July - 2 August 2002
• Statistics, data management & analysis, and computer skills, Agha Khan University, 10 April - 10 May 2002 
• Positive deviance inquiry and application (research and program experience); Pakistan, Save the children, USA, 20-31 August 2001

Research interests

Experience

• Associate professor, Health policy and Management Section, Department of Community Health Sciences, Agha khan university, January 2025- present
• Section head, Health Policy and Management Section, Department of Community Health Sciences, Agha Khan University, February 2023-Present
• Senior lecturer, Department of Community Health Sciences, Agha Khan University, February 2023 - December 2024
• Director of Projects, Center of Excellence in Women and Child Health, Pakistan, 2016- 2024
• Head of Research and M&E, Greenstar Social Marketing, Pakistan, 2014-2015
• Consultant, Agha Khan University- Duty Station: Afghanistan, 2014-2015
• Consultant, Agha Khan University- Duty Station Eritrea, 2012 - 2013
• Research Specialist, Research and Advocacy Fund, British Council, Pakistan, 2011-2014
• Program Manager Health, Save the Children, United Kingdom, 2009-2011
• Senior Instructor, Research, Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Agha Khan University, 2008-2009\
• Consultant, Agha Khan University- Duty Station: Sri Lanka, 2006 - 2008
• Consultant, Agha Khan University- Duty Station: Maldives, 2006 - 2008
• Senior social scientist, Agha Khan University, 2003-2006
• Research Office, Agha Khan University, Pakistan, 2001-2003 

Professional associations

• Member, International Core Indicators for Preconception Health and Equity (iCIPHE) Alliance Co-chaired by the University of Southampton and University College London, 2025-2026
• Member, Technical working group on multiple Micronutrient Supplementation (MMS) Department of Health, Government of Sindh, 2023-2026
• Member, Technical Advisory Group, Mother and newborn Information for Tracking Outcomes and results. (MONITOR) World Health Organization (WHO), 2023-2025
• Member, Technical Advisory Group, Strengthening Postpartum Family Planning (PPFP) Government of Sindh, Pakistan
• Member of the Technical Advisory Group, HPV vaccination Program Government of Sindh, Pakistan, 2025
• Member of Technical Working Group, Child Survival Health Working Group (HWG) Government of Sindh
• Member Technical Advisory Group , Revision of Sindh Lady Health Worker (LHW) Curriculum, Government of Sindh, 2018- 2019 
• Member Technical Working Group, Development and Terms of Reference for Group Antenatal Care (G-ANC) Government of Sindh
• Member, Technical Working Group, World Health Organization, Udaipur, India, 19-23 April 2006 

Awards and honours

• Led Sindh Health Policy development (applicable 2026–2035), at the request of the Honourable Health Minister, Dr. Azra Fazal Pechuho.
• Led establishment of the REAP Collaborative – Realizing Evidence and Action for Evidence-Informed Policy-Making in Pakistan 
• Contributed to the implementation of the Essential Package of Health Services (EPHS) in Sindh, Pakistan.
• Led Government of Sindh’s adoption and financing of the private provider immunization model developed and validated at AKU. The Government has independently financed the first 8 of 33 planned implementation centres (2025).
• Co-Led, design of Provincial Nursing Training Strategies, Department of Health, Government of Sindh (2025–2026).
• Lead, transition the Sindh Electronic Immunization Registry from NGO management to the Department of Health, Government of Sindh (2025–2026).
• Led AKU’s technical contribution to the province-wide induction of 976 newly hired vaccinators across all districts of Sindh (2025), in formal collaboration with the Sindh Expanded Programme on Immunization, UNICEF and WHO.
• Co-led AKU’s technical contribution to the pilot phase of the Prime Minister’s National Hepatitis C Elimination Programme in Gilgit-Baltistan (March 2025), in partnership with AKDN, AKF and AKHSP
• International feature by the WHO Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research (24 April 2026). The MAINSTREAM Pakistan embedded implementation research portfolio, with AKU as mentor institute, was profiled as an exemplar within the six-country MAINSTREAM programme
• Lead, Supported 54 research and advocacy projects across 104 districts in Pakistan to inform pro-poor maternal and newborn health policy and practice
• Lead, Capacity building of vaccinators in Sindh (900 vaccinators) expanded program on Immunization (EPI), government of Sindh | 2025 Implemented in line with directives of the Minister of Health, Sciences
• Co-Lead , Quest Network. Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis | 2025
• Lead, REAPS-HS Collaborative (Realizing Evidence and action for health policy and systems Research for stronger health systems), Pakistan. Supported by Results for Development (R4D) 2025
• Co-Chair, WECOLLAB Research Initiative. Agha Khan University | 2025
• Co-Chair, European Funding Initiative for research and academic collaboration, Agha Khan University 
• Session Chair, “Digital Monitoring for Humanitarian Emergency Response (HER): AKA Sehatmandi” F4HE Dissemination Seminar | 2025
• Principal Investigator and Country Lead, Co-Creation workshop on health policy and Systems Research for Vaccine Uptake in LMICs. World Health Organization, Geneva | 18-20 February 2025
• Founding member, International Network for Strengthening Health Systems and Participatory Engagement (SHAPEin)
• Erasmus Mundus Scholar, European Commission | 2006-2008| EUR 46,000
• Lancet Travel Award Recipient , Conference: Tracking Progress in Child Survival: Countdown to 2015 | University of London, UK | December 2005
• NFID Travel Grant Recipient, Ninth Annual Conference on Vaccine Research | Baltimore, USA | May 2006
• Co- Chair , Tech talk 4th annual Pediatrics Conference, Agha Khan University, Karachi | August 27, 2022
• Best Research Group Award, Health Systems: Recipient | 2021
• Best Research Group Award, Health System: Recipient | 2020 

Grants and research activities

Created on:12/06/2023 Last modified:09/17/2026