Rahman Ahmed Ehsanur

I am a physician by training and graduated (MBBS) from Dhaka Medical College of Dhaka University in 2007, the most prestigious medical school in Bangladesh. Later, I completed Masters in Public Health (MPH) from the James P Grant School of Public Health (JPGSPH) of BRAC University in Bangladesh in 2011. After that, I completed my doctoral degree in Global Health from the Centre for Global Health Research of the University of Edinburgh in 2022. I have nearly 15 years of experience in public health practice and research. Currently, I am an Associate Scientist at the Maternal and Child Health Division of icddr,b, an international health research institute based in Bangladesh. Also, I am a member of the National Technical Working Committee of Newborn Health in Bangladesh and the National Technical Working Committee of Integrated Management of Childhood Illness in Bangladesh. I have led more than 35 research projects as a Principal Investigator. I published more than 50 articles in international peer-reviewed journals, of which around 30 were as first or last authors. In addition, I co-led the development of the National Child Health Strategy of Bangladesh (2018) and was integrally involved in the National Newborn Health Strategy of Bangladesh (2019). Furthermore, I am a National Technical Advisory Group member for Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2022-23 and Bangladesh Health Facility Survey 2022. I am particularly interested in technological, social and process innovations to strengthen the health systems and improve the coverage and quality of care of high-impact interventions. My expertise lies in community-based and facility-based surveys and implementation research designed to influence policy, programme and practice. A significant part of my research focuses on understanding the major causes of Maternal, Newborn and Child morbidity and mortality and finding solutions to prevent, protect, and treat them. Pneumonia is among the major causes of under-five mortality in Bangladesh and globally. Some of my most recent works assessed the burden, understanding the context and findings solutions to prevent, protect and treat childhood pneumonia, including hypoxemic pneumonia in low- and middle-income countries. These works have helped me realize the role of medical oxygen and the importance of oxygen system readiness and security for averting pneumonia-related deaths globally.