About Me
My Background
I am serving as the Research Director of FHI 360 in Bangladesh. I completed my Doctorate in Public Health (DrPH) from Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and have been involved as an Associated Faculty in its Health Systems Program. I have been teaching Health Systems and other public health courses, as an Adjunct Faculty, at BRAC University, Northern University Bangladesh, and North South University. I am serving as the Regional Champion of the Thematic Working Group on Teaching and Learning Health Policy and Systems Research, a working group of the health systems researchers’ global professional body, the Health Systems Global. I am also one of the Emerging Voices for Global Health, as announced through a competitive process by the Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium. My doctoral research was on ‘Understanding and Measuring Responsiveness of Human Resources for Health (HRH) in Rural Bangladesh’, which is one of the pioneering studies on HRH responsiveness and performance. My areas of professional interest include health policy, health systems, human resources for health, medical anthropology, mixed methods research, implementation research, and psycho-metrics. I am actively engaged in research activities and publish regularly in international peer reviewed scientific journals.
Apart from my professional activities, I am heavily engaged in social, cultural, and literary activities. I was the President of Notre Dame Debating Club, the oldest debating club in Bangladesh. I served as the President of UN Youth and Students Association of Bangladesh, which I am the Vice-chair of the Board of Trustees now. I was active in the media as the anchor of a live talk show. I regularly write in the print media as well. I am a published poet in Bengali language; my poetry book 'Chinno Papyrus' (Torn Papyrus) was published from Ankur Prokashoni in 2007. I serve in the editorial panel of the literary magazine 'Srizon'.
My Hobbies
I love reading, writing, and reciting poems. I love to travel both inside and outside my home country- Bangladesh. Watching classic and thought provoking movies is another of my favorite pastime.
My Favorite Things
I love rainy days because my spouse makes hot chocolate and we watch TV in bed all day. My favorite color is green because it reminds me of the Green Mountains of Vermont! Even though I live on the West Coast now, New England is one of the best places to visit.