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Nahitun Naher

Assistant Director, CoEHSUHC

Centre of Excellence for Health Systems and Universal Health Coverage (COE-HS&UHC)

Short Biography

Dr. Nahitun Naher is a public health specialist with expertise in designing and conducting public health including social science research. Experienced on public health issues of Bangladesh and low- and middle-income countries. Extensive experience on operation research issues, research management and mentoring in multi-disciplinary, multi-ethnic environment. Published in peer reviewed international journals, authored research monographs and working papers. Attended and presented papers in many international seminars, conferences and workshops. Her research interest includes health system, health workforce, health equity, marginalized population, adolescent health, universal health coverage, health sector corruption, pharmaceutical promotion, pharmaceutical research and development, infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance, road traffic injury, community health workers, mental health, governance, community engagement etc.

Module(s) taught (in MPH)

  • MPH 530: Health Systems Management

Current Projects

1. Project name: Optimizing the role of community health workers in strengthening comprehensive primary health care and health systems resilience: prospects and challenges in Bangladesh.
Donor: The World Health Organisaiton
Role-Co-PI
2. Project name: Feasibility of implementing trauma registry and trauma system improvement in four districts of Bangladesh with high road traffic injury burden.
Donor: The World Bank
Role: Co-PI
3. Pharmaceutical research and development in Bangladesh-Ground realities and prospects.
Donor- Foundation for the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva. 
Role: Co-Pi

Selected Peer-Reviewed Publications

1. Zarin B, Ahmed SM, Naher N etal. (2023). Tackling antimicrobial resistance in Bangladesh: A scoping review of policy and practice in human, animal and environment sectors. PLoS One. 2020; 15(1): e0227947. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0227947
2. Naher N, Balabanova D, McKee M, Khan MA, Roy P, Ahmed SM, Hutchinson E (2022). Absenteeism among doctors in the Bangladesh health system: What are the structural drivers? SSM-Qualitative Research in Health. DOI:10.1016/j.ssmqr.2022.100089.
3. Ahmed SM, Naher N, Tune SNBK, Islam B.Z. (2022). The Implementation of National Action Plan (NAP) on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in Bangladesh: Challenges and Lessons Learned from a Cross-Sectional Qualitative Study. Antibiotics 11;690. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics11050690  
4. Naher N et al. (2020). The influence of corruption and governance in the delivery of frontline health care services in the public sector: a scoping review of current and future prospects in low and middle-income countries of south and south-east Asia. BMC Public Health,  20:880 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-08975-0
5. Naher N, Balabanova D, Hutchinson E etal. (2020).Do social accountability approaches work? A review of the literature from selected-low and middle-income countries in the WHO South-East Asia region. Health Policy and Planning, 35, 2020, i76–i96. doi: 10.1093/heapol/czaa107. Supplement Article

Other Publications

Bangladesh Health Watch Book: Advancing in Health: 50 Years of Bangladesh-Chapter 10-Co-Author- Pharmaceuticals: Policy, Production and Impact

Awards

Global Symposium on Health Systems Research Anti-corruption thematic group crowdsourcing call award, The Health Systems Global Technical Working Group on Accountability & Anti-Corruption for the SDGs (TWG-AAA-SDG), 2022.

Research Interests


health system health workforce health equity marginalized population adolescent health universal health coverage health sector corruption pharmaceutical promotion pharmaceutical research and development infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance road traffic injury community health workers mental health governance community engagement etc.

Education


  • Masters in Healthcare Quality Improvement and Leadership Development (MQI) from the Department of General Practice and Primary HealthCare
  • Faculty of Medicine
  • University of Helsinki
  • Finland; Postgraduate Diploma in Public Health and Hygiene from the Institute of Public Health and Hygiene
  • Delhi
  • India; Bachelor of Medicine
  • Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) from Z. H. Sikder Medical College
  • Dhaka
  • Bangladesh