She is keen to share her extensive knowledge to inspire others to advance their careers, reduce injustice against women, understand their rights and encourage professionals to do more.
BALTIMORE, MD, September 06, 2024 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Halida Hanum Akhter, Dr.PH, has been selected for inclusion in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected based on current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all considered during the selection process.
Dr. Akhter is an esteemed public health expert and reproductive health epidemiologist with a career spanning several decades. Since 2018, she has been serving as a senior associate at the Center for Human Nutrition in the department of international health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore.
Leveraging 50 years of success in her field, Dr. Akhter's career began in 1974 as the deputy project director at the Mohammadpur Family Planning Model Clinic and Research Center under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in Dhaka, Bangladesh. She then joined the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Epidemic Intelligence Services in 1983, focusing on reproductive health. From 1983 to 1985, Dr. Akhter served as a program associate at The Ford Foundation in Dhaka. She also excelled as a maternal child health and family planning specialist at The World Bank in Washington, D.C., in 1985.
Continually progressing, Dr. Halida Akhter founded the Bangladesh Institute of Research for Promotion of Essential and Reproductive Health in 1986, where she served as chief executive officer until 2001. She then became the Director General at the Family Planning Association of Bangladesh under the International Planned Parenthood Federation from 2005 to 2008. Between 2009 and 2011, Dr. Akhter was the Global Technical Lead for Family Planning and Reproductive Health at Management Sciences for Health in Arlington, Virginia, USA.
Dr. Halida Akhter worked as Deputy Project Director and Senior Technical Adviser at Pathfinder International in Washington, D.C., from 2011 to 2013. Subsequently, with Pathfinder International, she led a large project in Bangladesh as Chief of Party for the NGO Health Service Delivery Project (NHSDP) and was the Senior Country Representative for Pathfinder International in Bangladesh until 2018.
Dr. Akhter graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery from Dhaka Medical College in 1968. She also received a Master of Public Health in 1978 and a Doctor of Public Health in 1979 from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr Akhter has served 2 years as EIS (Epidemic Intelligence Services) during 1981-1983, at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, Georgia as a Rockefeller Fellow. Besides her degrees, Dr. Akhter founded and has been serving as the president of the Society for Health Promotion Links in Bangladesh since 2002 and has trained 4000 rural women as Community Maternity Practitioners (CMP).
Dr. Akhter's expertise in women's reproductive health has made her a sought-after speaker at international conferences, institutional advisor and global level consultant. She was an active leader, advocate and Vice Chair of Chapter VII in Prep COM III of ICPD, CAIRO in1994. Over the 20-year period she has served on many women's health-related committees at World Health Organization in Geneva. She also served as member of the International Medical Advisory Panel (IMAP) of International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) London, UK. Among several invitations, she was asked to travel to South Africa to share Bangladesh's task-shifting efforts. Dr. Akhter has also contributed significantly to academic literature and public health initiatives. Eager for the future, Dr. Akhter plans to write a book about reproductive health issues for women to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity. She is also keen to share her extensive knowledge to inspire others to advance their careers, reduce injustice against women, understand their rights and encourage professionals to do more.
Throughout her career, Dr. Akhter has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Developing Countries Award for Lifetime Achievement from Justus Liebig University Giessen in 1995, the United Nations Population Award (Laureate at individual category) in 2006. During 2022 to 2023, Dr Halida Akhter received Lifetime Achievement Award of "G100 Champions in Health & Wellness"2022. Dr Halida Akhter received Excellence in SRHR Award 2023, on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in Bangladesh by NCSRHR2023 acknowledging her lifetime contribution in promoting SRHR in Bangladesh. Dr Halida Akhter received award from American Public Health Association (APHA) at the Martha May Elliot Session on November 13th 2023 at APHA conference in Atlanta Georgia, USA. She is the 2023 recipient of Maternal and Child Health Section's The Outstanding Leadership/Advocacy Award in recognition of her contribution and leadership in science, program, and policy relating to the health of women, children, and families. Dr. Halida Akhter received Bangla Academy Honorary Fellowship-2023 in Medical Science on 25th November 2023. Dr. Halida Akhter Bangladesh's Prestigious 'Begum Rokeya Padak' Award in 2023. She also received various other national accolades, including the Top 10 Women Awards in Bangladesh. Dr. Akhter attributes her success to her energy and willingness to help others, which have driven her remarkable career dedicated to improving women's reproductive health worldwide.
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