Working Group

Professor Ahmed Mushtaque Raza Chowdhury is a Bangladeshi development worker, researcher, academic and micro-philanthropist. He spent about four decades with BRAC, the world's largest NGO. He was its Vice Chair, Executive Director, founding director of the Research and Evaluation Division (now merged with the Graduate Institutes of BRAC University) and the founding dean of the James P. Grant School of Public Health. Currently, he is an Adviser to the James P. Grant School of Public Health at BRAC University. Dr. Chowdhury is also a professor of Population and Family Health at Columbia University in New York. He also worked as the senior adviser and acting managing director at the Rockefeller Foundation and as a fellow at Harvard University. Chowdhury received several awards and accolades including the prestigious "Medical Award of Excellence" bestowed by the Chicago-based Ronald McDonald House Charities in 2017 and has been honoured by The Lancet for his contribution to global health in 2013. Chowdhury is a founder of the Bangladesh Education Watch and Bangladesh Health Watch, two civil society watch-dogs. He is on the boards and committees of a number of important organizations and initiatives. Chowdhury has published nearly 200 peer-reviewed scientific articles in national and international journals. He holds a PhD from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, an MSc from the London School of Economics and a BA (Hon's) in Statistics from Dhaka University.

Dr. Faisel is former Country Representative of Engender Health Bangladesh and former President of the Public Health Association of Bangladesh (PHAB). Currently, Member of national level technical committees constituted by MOHFW and working as Public Health advisor for Sylhet Division for COVID-19 issues. He has diverse experience with family planning, reproductive & sexual health, maternal health, infectious diseases, Essential Services Package delivery program, and improving quality of services in Bangladesh.

Dr. Hussain is a former Director, Primary Health Care & Diseases Control, and IEDCR, Government of Bangladesh. He was one of the drafters of the health and population sector strategy in 1997 and of HPSP 1998-2003, of HNPSP 2003-2011 and HPNSDP 2011-2016 and the national health policy of 2000 and 2011. Dr. Hussain also worked for the Urban Health Care Project-I as the team leader, and as staff consultant of ADB and for WHO at national and Regional levels.

Dr. Islam is a medical graduate and a leading public health and development professionals of Bangladesh has worked in various capacities in different organizations in Bangladesh and Africa. Prior to assuming the responsibility of the Regional Director of WaterAid South Asia, Dr. Islam has been working in the field of water, sanitation, and hygiene as the Country Director of WaterAid Bangladesh for the last eleven years and also an adjunct Associate Professor in the Center for Population and Environmental Health, the University of Griffith and BRAC School of Public Health, Bangladesh.

Dr. Huque is a Visiting Faculty of Nuffield Centre for International Health and Development, University of Leeds, UK. She is particularly interested in research and advocacy in the fields of health care financing, health system strengthening and tobacco control.

Dr. F. Rashid is a medical anthropologist, is Dean (since 2013), and Professor at the BRAC School of Public Health, BRAC University. She has over 25 years of work experience with expertise in ethnographic and qualitative research. Her research interests include gender, sexual and reproductive health and rights, sexuality, human rights, urban poverty, governance and health services; the well-being of adolescents, youth, and marginalized populations.

Mr. Rahman is the former Registrar and Director (Information Technology) of the University. Before joining the Medical University, he served in the government service for 16 years. He has been awarded the Honorary Fellowship from the Bangladesh College of Physicians.

Dr. Rob provides leadership and technical guidance in the development, management, and evaluation of research projects implemented by the Government of Bangladesh, development partners, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). He also conducts policy analysis for the introduction of new programmatic interventions. He also serves on the editorial boards of the International Quarterly of Community Health Education and Population Review. He teaches a post-graduate course at Dhaka University and acts as an external supervisor for PhD and Master's Degree students.

Ms. Afrin is responsible for implementing the right to safe abortion: Strategic Partnership in Asia; “Right Here Right Now (RHRN)” as Project Coordinator (honorary) funded by Rutgers (Netherlands) and ARROW (Malaysia). Founder member and executive committee member of the organization of “Breaking the Silence” and People’s Health Movement (PHM) Bangladesh as a Co-Chairman.

Dr. Ahmed graduated from Dhaka Medical College (1978) and received Ph. D on health systems from Karolinska Institutete, Sweden, in 2005. His research interests are for the poor and the marginalized population; health and gender equity; universal health coverage; health sector corruption and capacity-building.

Ahmed Al Sabir is working as a consultant in ICF International. He has extensive experience in the field of Population, Nutrition, Reproductive and Child Health related community survey, operations research, monitoring and evaluation consulting, including working in the areas of program development, utilization of research findings, and stakeholder coordination. This has been attained while mostly working with a public institute with support from development partners and a big two international research centers.

Dr. Shehlina Ahmed is the top advisor at the health department of the British High Commission in Dhaka. She has worked in the British donor agency Department for International Development (DFID) health division for 13 years. Dr Shehlina Ahmed was awarded the title of ‘Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE)’.