Short Biography
Zarin Tasnim is a Research Associate at BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health (JPGSPH), BRAC University. She is a medical graduate from Bangladesh University of Professionals (2018). She pursued her Master of Public Health (MPH) degree from BRAC JPGSPH (2021). Her current works include health systems researches on community-centric health service delivery, health workforce, and health services utilisation following both qualitative and quantitative approach. In her recent study, she has been engaged to explore current situation of Maternal and New-born Health (MNH) services and Non-communicable Diseases (NCD) services from supply and demand side perspectives, including Quality of Care (QoC) and patient satisfaction. In one of her earlier studies, she assessed the role of Community Health Workers (CHWs) to strengthen the delivery of quality Primary Health Care (PHC) services. She was also involved in formative evaluation of the Regional Chapters (RCs) of Bangladesh Health Watch (BHW) to facilitate the design of evidence-based programme through capturing the citizens’ voices from the grassroots. The formative research was aimed to determine the barriers faced and coping mechanisms adopted by the health service users to access and utilise healthcare services at the grassroots. For another study in 2022, she explored existing Community Engagement (CE) structures in Bangladesh during COVID-19, challenges of CE, and contributed developing appropriate engagement model(s) to strengthen pandemic preparation and response. In addition to her research career, she has also served as a Teaching Fellow (TF) in Health Systems Management module in the MPH programme at BRAC JPGSPH.
Current Projects
1. Project: Implementation of health system assessment for system-level quality improvement in Bangladesh Donor: The World Bank Role: Coordinate and supervise data collection team, data analysis, writing report, presentation of findings 2. Project: Optimising the role of community health workers in strengthening comprehensive primary health care and health systems resilience: prospects and challenges in Bangladesh Donor: World Health Organisation Role: Coordinate and supervise data collection team, data analysis, writing report, presentation of findings 3. Project: A global social sciences network for infectious threats and antimicrobial resistance (SONAR-GLOBAL) Donor: European Commission Role: Coordinate and supervise data collection team, data analysis, writing report, presentation of findings
Selected Peer-Reviewed Publications
1. Koly, K. N., Tasnim, Z., Ahmed, S., Saba, J., Mahmood, R., Farin, F. T., Choudhury, S., Ashraf, M. N., Hasan, M. T., Oloniniyi, I., Modasser, R. B., & Reidpath, D. D. (2022). Mental healthcare-seeking behavior of women in Bangladesh: Content analysis of a social media platform. BMC Psychiatry, 22(1), 797. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-022-04414-z 2. Tune, S. N. B. K., Islam, B. Z., Islam, M. R., Tasnim, Z., & Ahmed, S. M. (2022). Exploring the knowledge, attitudes, practices, and lived experiences of frontline health workers in the times of COVID-19: a qualitative study from Bangladesh. BMJ Open, 12(1), e051893. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-051893
Other Publications
1. How close are we to Community Health Workers? (2023). Dhaka Tribune. https://www.dhakatribune.com/op-ed/2023/05/21/how-close-are-we-to-community-health-workers 2. Community Engagement during COVID-19 in Bangladesh: Leave no one behind! (2022). BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health. https://jpgsph-comms.medium.com/community-engagement-during-covid-19-in-bangladesh-leave-no-one-behind-85076848ed7a 3. Protect me with PPE gears and I will protect the innocent lives. (2020). BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health. https://jpgsph-comms.medium.com/protect-me-with-ppe-gears-and-i-will-protect-the-innocent-lives-d90d5b21e5a8
Awards
TDR Postgraduate Scholarship in Implementation Research Master of Public Health (MPH) Program, BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University Academic Year 2021–2022
Research Interests
Health Systems Research specifically on health services delivery and utilisation Healthcare access and equity
Education
- MPH (BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health
- BRAC University) MBBS (Bangladesh University of Professionals)