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Faculty Profile | SONAM, PK | The Aga Khan University

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School of Nursing & Midwifery, PakistanCurrently selected

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- School of Nursing & Midwifery, Pakistan
  - School of Nursing & Midwifery, Pakistan
    - Faculty

Salimah R. Walani

Associate Professor

Dean, School of Nursing & Midwifery, Pakistan

Email

Education

Ph.D. in Nursing Research and Theory Development. New York University, NY - 2012

Master of Public Health. Harvard University, Boston, MA - 1992

Master of Science in Nursing. Simmons College, Boston, MA - 1991

Bachelor of Arts. Karachi University, Pakistan - 1988

Diploma in Midwifery. The Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan - 1988

Diploma in Nursing. The Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan - 1987

Current areas of teaching

Research interests

Birth defects, research surveillance and management

Newborn health policies and programmes

Advanced maternal and child health programmes

Global Health Policy & Advocacy

Migration, Nursing Workforce & Health Systems

Experience

Aga Khan University, Pakistan. Dean, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Pakistan (2024 - present)

In this position, I serve as the Chief Academic and Chief Executive Officer of the School and the primary spokesperson for the School at the university, national and international levels. I am responsible to advance the School’s impact on the profession of nursing in Pakistan and globally impact through national, regional and global partnership and collaborations. I am a member of the University’s senior leadership team, and I play a central role in setting the overall direction of the School, ensuring that it

stays focused on its mission and aligns with the University’s vision and values.

MiracleFeet, North Carolina, USA (2022-2024)

Global Policy and Advocacy Advisor

Led MiracleFeet’s global advocacy for improving access to clubfoot treatment. Facilitate partnerships with stakeholders and governments across the diverse issues influencing birth defects and clubfoot care. Represent MiracleFeet and serve as the organization’s representative on various consortia, technical groups and conferences.

Walani Global Health Consulting LLC. Arizona, USA (2021- 2024)

Independent Global Health Consultant in Maternal, Newborn and Child Health

Consulting arrangements various global organizations to advance maternal and child health through strategic planning, technical advice, advocacy and stakeholder engagement. The following consulting contracts were undertaken:

UNICEF Headquarter (New York, USA) (2/204- 4/2024)
Consultant for Child Health Accountability Tracking, Technical Advisory Group
World Health Organization Headquarter (Geneva, Switzerland) (2/2022- 9/2023)
Provide technical expertise to WHO Maternal, Newborn Child and Adolescent Health Department for global activities related to birth defects surveillance, prevention, care and advocacy.
Pan American Health Organization/ WHO (7/2021- 8/2023)
Contribute to the analysis of the burden of adverse neonatal outcomes and develop guidelines for technical cooperation in the region for improving newborn health.
Cerebral Palsy Alliance, Australia (3/2023- 6/2023)
Facilitate stakeholders engagement for developing a global strategy for early identification and care of babies born with Cerebral Palsy.
March of Dimes, USA (5/2022- 3/2023)
Provide advice and technical expertise for Maternal Newborn Health Programs, specifically in the planning and implementation of the 10th International Conference on Birth Defects and Disabilities in the Developing World.

March of Dimes, USA (2012-2021)

Vice President of Global Programs

Director of Global Health Programs

Led reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health initiatives globally while developing new alliances to promote March of Dimes global footprint, mainly in low-and middle-income countries. I served as March of Dimes global spokesperson with World Health Organization and other UN agencies, governmental, non-governmental and civil society organizations and worked with partners in Asia, Latin America and Africa. As a well-known advocate for improving birth outcomes in low- and middle-income countries, I served on numerous technical advisory committees to influence programs and policy. My work focused on prevention of birth defects and premature birth by improving the health of women and girls before, during and after birth.

New York University, College of Nursing

Director, Mobile Clinical Unit (2004 – 2008)

Strategic planning and operational management of a federally funded community health outreach initiative that provided primary healthcare to under-served and immigrant communities in Brooklyn, NY. Responsibilities included, staff management, operations, fundraising, evaluation, reporting, community relations and financial management of the program.

The Osborn Nursing Home and Retirement Community, Rye, NY

Director of Quality Initiatives (1999- 2004)

Developed and implemented the organization-wide Quality Improvement Program. Managed the corporate-wide Staff Development and Employee Health Programs. Ensured compliance with the New York State Department of Health regulations and led the HIPAA Compliance Program. Improved the use of data for benchmarking and process improvement.

YAI/Premier HealthCare Inc., New York, NY

Manager of Quality Improvement (1998-1999)

Working with a team launched four primary health care clinics for people with mental and developmental disabilities in New York City. Developed and implemented the Quality Improvement Program for the agency’s primary health care clinics. Developed and implemented policies and procedures to improve quality of care.

New York City Department of Health

Consultant Public Health Nurse and Epidemiologist (1996-1998)

Conducted epidemiologic studies and outbreak investigations in schools and health facilities. Participated in the Outcomes of TB meningitis research project. Provided TB control education and consultation to health care facilities and initiated the first surveillance program to monitor TB in healthcare workers.

Supervised epidemiologists and public health advisors.

Flushing Hospital Medical Center, NY (1994-1996)

Infection Control Coordinator / Quality Management Coordinator

Surveillance of nosocomial infections. Data analysis and reporting. Management of infection control policy and practice. Management of. Infection Control Committee and staff education.

Implementation of hospital-wide quality management activities. Facilitation of Performance Improvement Committee and Continuous Quality Improvement teams.

Professional associations

Member, Strategic Advisory Group on Maternal Mortality- Pan American Health Organization (2024-)
Member, Editorial Board. Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice. A Sage Journal. (2024-)
Special Advisor for Global Advocacy. MiracleFeet, USA. (2024-)
Member, Steering Committee for Consultations on Framework for Birth Defects Screening and Management in LMICs. World Health Organization (2024- )
Member, Advisory Board, the Edson College Learning Enterprise and Edson College Global Health Collaboratory at Arizona State University (2022-2024)
Member, Chair Committee of the Global Alliance for Newborn Care, European Foundation for the Care of Newborn Infants (2020-)
Member, Board of Trustees, African Foundation for Premature Babies and Neonatal Care, Ghana (2020- 2024)
Grant Reviewer, National Institutes of Health, Mobile Health: Technology and Outcomes in LMICs grants (2015, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2022)
Member, Panel of Experts of Rare 2030- Foresight in Rare Disease Policy. (2019-2021)
Member, World Health Organization Global Birth Defects Technical Working Group (2019-)
Member, Micronutrient International Expert Advisory Group (EAG) for the Folate Task Team (2018- 2021)
Co-Chair, International Conference on Birth Defects and Disabilities in Developing Countries, Scientific Program Committee (2013-2020)
Member, World Health Organization Technical Consultation for Research on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in Humanitarian Settings (2018)
Member, Expert Advisory Group for Survive, Thrive and Transform: Care of Every Sick Newborn at UNICEF, NY (2018)
Grant Reviewer, US Science & Technology Cooperation Program for Pakistan, Division of Policy & Global Affairs, National Academies of Science, Engineering & Medicine, Washington, DC. (2017)
Advisory Committee for Alliance for Innovation on Maternal and Child Health, American Academy of Pediatrics (2016).
Honorary member, International Clearinghouse for Birth Defects Surveillance and Research (2015- )

2015: $32,000 from Perkin Elmer in support of the 7th International Conference on Birth Defects and Disabilities in the Developing World, Dar-es-Salaam Tanzania in partnership with the Aga Khan Health Services, Tanzania

2015: $46,575 from US-Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Foundation in support of the 7th International Conference on Birth Defects and Disabilities in the Developing World, Dar-es-Salaam Tanzania in partnership with the Aga Khan Health Services, Tanzania

2015: $50,000 from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in support of the 7th International Conference on Birth Defects and Disabilities in the Developing World, Dar-es-Salaam Tanzania in partnership with the Aga Khan Health Services, Tanzania

2014- 2015: $ 200,000 grant from US-Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for management of the International Clearinghouse for Birth Defects and Disabilities.

2007- 2010: $299,000 from the Aga Khan Foundation for implementation of Remote Health Access for Health Professionals Project for education of health professionals in Tanzania and Kenya. Co-authored this grant with Dr. Nizar Ramzan.

September 2006: $100,000 from the Starr Foundation for New York University’s Mobile Health

Program– co-authored that grant with Ms. Kathy Kenney.

June 2004-Jan 2008: Managed a grant of 2.5 million for New York University’s Mobile Health Program

from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Awards and honours

David Erickson Lecture Award. 2018
International Clearinghouse of Birth Defects Surveillance Research.
Sigma Theta Tau Upsilon Chapter, Ph.D. Research Award 2010
American Association of Colleges of Nursing Doctoral Scholarship 2009
Pauline Greenidge Award for Doctoral Studies, New York University 2005
Aga Khan Foundation International Scholarship for Graduate Studies 1990

Publications

Therrell, B. L., Padilla, C. D., Abadingo, M. E., Adhikari, S. P., Aung, T., Aye, T. T., Walani, S.R. &

Zafar, T. (2025). Consolidated Newborn Bloodspot Screening Efforts in Developing Countries in the Asia Pacific—2024. International Journal of Neonatal Screening, 11(1), 2.

Tam, P. Y. I., Padilla, C. D., Zlotkin, S., Ayede, A. I., Banu, T., Kayita, J., Walani, S. & de Costa, A.

(2024). The 77th World Health Assembly resolution calling for newborn screening, diagnosis, and management of birth defects: moving towards action in low-income and middle-income countries. The Lancet Global Health, 12(11), e1754-e1755.

Al Bizri, A., Walani, S., Nassar, A., Saab, B., Hanna Wakim, R., Noureddine, A., ... & Yunis, K. (2024).

Workplace wellness across the lifespan: A pilot program for health promotion in a low-and middle-income country. Health Promotion International, 39(4).

Strong, K., Robb-McCord, J., Walani, S., Mellado, C., Botto, L. D., Lay-Son, G., ... & Banerjee, A. (2024). Action against birth defects: if not now, when?. Global Health Action, 17(1), 2354002.

Walani, S. R., Penny, N., & Nakku, D. (2023). The global challenges of surgical congenital anomalies: Evidence, models, and lessons. Seminars in Pediatric Surgery (p. 151348).

Kleven, D. L., Mai, C. T., Bermejo‐Sánchez, E., Groisman, B., Walani, S., Peck, J., ... & Mastroiacovo, P. (2023). Using a health observance event to raise awareness: An assessment of World Birth Defects Day. Birth Defects Research.

Kancherla, V., Roos, N., & Walani, S. R. (2022). Relationship between achieving Sustainable Development Goals and promoting optimal care and prevention of birth defects globally. Birth Defects Research, 114(14), 773-784.

Nathan, I, Nyabigambo, A., Kayego, A., Waiswa, P. Moley, K., & Walani, S. (2021).

Readiness for implementation of preconception care in Uganda; a review on the current policy, health system barriers, opportunities and way forward. Int J Pregn and Child Birth, 7(3):68-72. DOI: 10.15406/ipcb.2021.07.00231

Ahmed, A. N. U., Maamri, A., Falade, A., Ayede, A. I., Bhutta, A., Gambhir, A., ... & Navabi, Z. S. (2021). Global research priorities on COVID-19 for maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health. Journal of Global Health, 11, 04071.

Padilla, C. D., Sur, A. D. L., Villarante, K. D., Crisostomo, H. D., Lescano, A. G., Padilla, P. J. D., ... & Walani, S. R. (2020). Identifying Challenges to Quality in Preconception Health Care among Women of Reproductive Age in Lipa City, Batangas. Acta Medica Philippina, 54(4).

Walani, S. R. (2020). Global burden of preterm birth. International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, 150(1), 31-33.

Walani SR, Hiebert L, Pachón H, Mwaisaka R. (2020). Prevention of birth defects in East Africa: a review of national policies. African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development, 20(3):15740-63.

Nassar, A. H., Visser, G. H., Ayres‐de‐Campos, D., Rane, A., Gupta, S., FIGO Safe Motherhood and Newborn Health Committee, ... & Walani, S. (2019). FIGO Statement: Restrictive use rather than routine use of episiotomy. International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, 146(1), 17-19.

Stones, W., Visser, G. H., Theron, G., FIGO Safe Motherhood and Newborn Health Committee, ... & Walani, S. (2019). FIGO Statement: Staffing requirements for delivery care, with special reference to low‐and middle‐income countries. International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics

Visser, G. H., Di Renzo, G. C., Spitalnik, S. L., Ayres-de-Campos, D., Escobar, M. F., Barnea, E., ... &

Walani, S. (2019). The continuing burden of Rh disease 50 years after the introduction of anti-Rh

(D) immunoglobin prophylaxis: call to action. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Created on:10/01/2025 Last modified:10/02/2025

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