I was born in the beautiful valley of Gojal, Hunza, but raised in the city of Gilgit, where I also completed my early education. I had a track record of outstanding academic achievement since my early life, always topping my class and winning various prizes, medals, and honors at the regional and national levels. One of the highlights of my early academic career was standing third in the national essay writing competition organized by the Pakistan Academy of Sciences in 1989, and receiving a prestigious Outstanding Achievement Award.
I completed my FSc (equivalent of high school) in 1993 with distinction, winning an academic gold medal that resulted in my acceptance into one of the top medical colleges in Pakistan—Rawalpindi Medical College. I graduated as an MBBS (medical doctor) in 1999.
Following my residency, I joined the Centre for Health Intervention and Research (CHIR), a research project of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, in Gilgit-Baltistan. This was a turning point in my professional life, as it opened my eyes to the tremendous role of public health and further solidified my determination in research and global health.
In the year 2002, I was honored to receive the highly competitive Aga Khan Foundation International Scholarship to pursue my postgraduate degree in Public Health at the globally acclaimed London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). I had the exclusive opportunity to take specialized modules at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) as well. Studying at these two world-ranking institutions was a life-altering experience—one that I consider a rare and valuable privilege in my academic and professional life. I completed a Master of Public Health (MPH) in 2003.
Driven by a passionate urge to serve underprivileged populations, I began my career with the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom before relocating to Afghanistan in 2004 to join the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN). Over the next 11 years, I worked with various AKDN agencies—FOCUS Humanitarian Assistance and Aga Khan Health Services—as well as other international humanitarian agencies across Afghanistan and Tajikistan. Those years were formative in my skills in global health as I was able to lead various health and nutrition interventions in emergency, early recovery, and development contexts.
In 2019, I led a major health and nutrition program for an international humanitarian organization in Borno, Nigeria, and in 2021, I had the opportunity to begin my humanitarian career in the Middle East, to support critical health emergencies in Syria and Iraq. In 2022, I was deployed to Ukraine to support the humanitarian response to the Russian invasion—a mission that was one of the most complex, highest-risk, and professionally defining moments in my career.
I have conducted a number of research studies and have authored and co-authored a number of publications throughout my professional life. I regularly write op-eds and analytical articles on health issues related to developing countries, and my articles appear in American, Pakistani, and Danish newspapers. My main areas of research interest include maternal and child health, health system strengthening, nutrition, public health emergencies, water and sanitation, trauma care, injury prevention, and cross-border health programs.
I am also completing a book on emergency response and management of health care in post-conflict situations, drawing on my field experience in more than 10 countries across Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, and North America.