Dr. Ali Ahsan
Research Coordinator
CNCDN
Short Biography
Dr. Ali Ahsan is a medical doctor and public health researcher with expertise in non-communicable diseases (NCDs), primary healthcare, and digital health innovations. He is currently a Research Coordinator at the BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University, where he oversees large-scale national and international research projects, develops policy briefs, and mentors Master of Public Health students. Over the years, he has worked extensively on NCD surveillance, health systems strengthening, and implementation research, contributing to studies funded by WHO, NIHR, and the Government of Bangladesh.
He has authored peer-reviewed publications, presented research at international scientific conferences, and received several prestigious awards and fellowships, including travel grants and research fellowships in Singapore, Sri Lanka, and the University of Chicago. His professional interests lie at the intersection of health systems, evidence-based policy, and capacity building of frontline healthcare providers, with the goal of improving equitable healthcare delivery in low- and middle-income countries.
MPH Modules Conducted
- Ageing, NCD and Health (MPH 681)
Current Projects
- Addressing gaps in the hypertension and diabetes care continuum in rural Bangladesh through mHealth and decentralized primary care: The Dinajpur Study (Co-investigator)
- Evaluation on 360 Degree NCD Care project (Co-investigator)
- Evaluation of key NCD services by WHO PEN protocol in all the sub-districts of Dinajpur in Bangladesh(Co-investigator)
- Evaluation of strengthening of key NCD services by NCD management model in three sub-districts of one border-based district in Bangladesh (Co-investigator)
- Evaluation of the effectiveness of 5A-5R Counselling Services for tobacco quitting with or without mobile phone-assisted remote support in rural primary healthcare settings (Co-principal investigator)
- Development and testing of an Upazila-specific model of 'whole-of-government' and 'whole-of-society' approaches for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases in a sub-district of Bangladesh (Co-investigator)
- Global Health Research Unit on Diabetes and Cardiovascular Diseases in South Asians (Phase II) (Study coordinator)
- Capacity Building on WHO Package of Essential Non-communicable Disease (PEN) Interventions for Primary Health Care Providers of Cox's Bazar District to Strengthen NCD Service Delivery (Phase-I to Phase-V) (Co-investigator and national master trainer)
- Understanding the Patterns and Determinants of Health in South Asians People-South Asia Biobank (Study coordinator)
Peer Reviewed Publications
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Factors associated with generalised anxiety disorder and depression among adults living with diabetes and hypertension comorbidity in rural Bangladesh: findings from a cross-sectional study
Authors: Chakravartty M,Shuvo MMS,Kumari S,Jhilik TC,Sarker T,Akter F,Hossain MM,Ahsan A,Latif M,Mridha MK
DOI/URL: doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2025-102000
Published on: 2025-09-05
Awards
- • Travel Award from NIHR Global Health Research Network to attend a workshop on ‘Basics of metabolomics and proteomics’ at Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, from 21 July to 25 July 2024
- • The GEOHealth U2R scholarship to join Institute for Population and Precision Health, University of Chicago as ‘Short-term Postdoctoral Scholar’. from 1st January to 31 March 2025
- • Travel Grant for Oral Presenters at Delivering for Nutrition in South Asia Conference 2024: Connecting the Dots Across Systems, in Colombo, Sri Lanka
- • Travel Award from NIHR Global Health Research Network to attend a workshop on ‘Genetic Epidemiology and Bioinformatics’ at Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, from 22 July to 26 July 2024
- • Cohort Academic Development Award (NIHR GHR CADA) by NIHR Global Health Research to attend a capacity building workshop on 'Communicating research' from 31 July to 06 August 2023 in Colombo, Sri Lanka
- • Begum Rokeya Shakhawat Hossain Award for being the best teaching fellow in the 2022 Master of Public Health program at BRAC University
- • Urakami Foundation Travel Award to present research work titled 'Do people with hypertension or diabetes change their processed food consumption behaviour?' at the 22nd International Congress of Nutrition 2022 (ICN 2022) in Tokyo, Japan
- • National Health and Care Research (NIHR) Grant to pursue a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree in 2020-2021 session at BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University
Research Focus
Non-communicable diseases Precision health Heath system digitalization Non-communicable disease surveillance system Community based behavioral intervention
Education
- Master of Public Health (MPH), BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University
- Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBS), Rangpur Medical College, University of Rajshahi