Staff Profile

I am a member of the Population Health Sciences Institute and working in the Ageing and Epidemiology research focus. I am a medical doctor by background and working as a public health professional for more than 10 years. My research interests and previous work are centred around the epidemiology of non-communicable diseases; multimorbidity and ageing research in the UK and Bangladesh. I have worked in various large-scale longitudinal cohort studies; UK electronic health records; hospital-based case-control studies; qualitative research projects on communicable diseases and mental health; and evidence synthesis. My doctoral research at the University of Cambridge was focused on identifying risk factors and correlates of multimorbidity. Prior to moving to Newcastle, I was based at the University of Southampton on a NIHR-funded project, which aimed at developing and validating population clusters considering health and social care determinants for people with multimorbidity using CPRD and ELSA databases. For the first 6 years of my career in Bangladesh, I worked for the No. 1 NGO in the world – BRAC, Bangladesh which gave me the opportunity to lead and co-lead multiple research projects on infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases, maternal and child health and eye health with multiple stakeholder and collaborators including national and international organisations, government and international funders including WHO, USAID, The Global Funds, and WaterAid. For my current role, I am particularly interested in generating evidence on healthy ageing and the impact of climate change on the ageing population.

Education:

MBBS, 2012 (Bangladesh)

MPH, 2014 (American International University- Bangladesh)

MSc, 2016 (University College London, UK)

PhD (Public Health and Primary Care), 2023 (University of Cambridge, UK)

My primary research focus lies in the domain of non-communicable disease investigation, utilising large-scale cohort data and electronic health records. My particular area of interest revolves around multimorbidity (MLTC), healthy aging, and environmental factors. Specifically, I am interested in exploring the intricate interplay among sociodemographic risk factors, adiposity, and mental health. I approach my research with a global health perspective, investigating disparities at local, national, or international levels, backed by over a decade of professional experience in the UK, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.

In addition to conducting quantitative analyses of epidemiological data, I have actively participated in a number of qualitative research initiatives and evidence synthesis projects.