Protiva Azmi

Program Monitoring & Evaluation Officer

Protiva Azmi Chaiti is an experienced HR, business development, and compliance professional with a strong background in project coordination and strategic planning. She holds an Executive MBA in Human Resource Management from Daffodil International University and has over nine years of experience across consultancy, apparel, and corporate sectors. Skilled in recruitment, policy compliance, training facilitation, and client relations, she has successfully contributed to organizational growth through effective project management and stakeholder engagement. As our Project Evaluation & Monitoring Officer, she brings a results-driven approach and a proven ability to align operational processes with strategic objectives.

Nazia Noor

Research Assistant

Nazia holds a bachelor’s and master’s in women and gender studies from the University of Dhaka. Her research interests include gender equality, women’s socio-economic empowerment, and social development, and she brings strong skills in communication, creative work, and data management to her professional endeavors.

Marjahan Akther

Research Associate

Marjahan Akther is a psychologist and passionate mental health researcher, dedicated to advancing clinical mental health through both practice and research. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Rajshahi and a Master’s in Clinical Psychology from the University of Dhaka. Currently, she serves as a Psychologist at LifeSpring Limited, where she provides evidence-based psychological support to individuals experiencing depression, anxiety, OCD, and trauma-related issues.

Alongside her clinical work, Marjahan is deeply committed to research in mental health, with a strong interest in psychological disorders, culturally sensitive interventions, and improving access to quality mental health care. Her academic background and practical experience have fueled her enthusiasm to explore research questions that address real-world mental health challenges and inform better clinical practices.

Marjahan aims to build a career that bridges clinical service and research, contributing to impactful, culturally informed solutions in mental health both in Bangladesh and globally.

Avijit brata nath

Research Associate

Avijit Brata Nath is a committed and methodically skilled researcher with an M.Sc. & B.Sc in

Psychology from the University of Chittagong. With a strong background in academic research,

Avijit possesses practical experience in creating scientific surveys, analyzing data, and designing

research tools, including a noteworthy 7-item questionnaire. A pivotal achievement in Avijit’s

career is the “Bangabandhu Science and Technology Fellowship 2021,” granted for a research

paper that illustrates the capacity for meaningful and independent research. Although primarily

focused on Psychology, Avijit’s expertise in both qualitative and quantitative research, statistical

data analysis using SPSS, proposal development, and literature exploration is broadly relevant,

allowing for a smooth transition to various research challenges, such as those present in a research

farm environment where systematic data collection and analysis are critical.

His background includes positions as a Psychologist, emphasizing the planning of scientific

surveys and understanding human behavior. Research endeavors have specifically examined the

effects of COVID-19, highlighting advanced methodological skills in study design and data

management. This experience further reinforces his ability to conceptualize and implement high-quality research that garners national recognition.

Simun Nasa

Research Associate

Simun Nasa, a Clinical Psychologist with an academic foundation comprising an M.Phil and M.S in Clinical Psychology, along with a B.Sc. in Psychology from University of Dhaka, where she developed clinical expertise and research work. Now she is working as a clinical psychologist at LifeSpring Consultancy Limited. Her professional interests are rooted in research and evidence-based clinical practice, with a particular passion for child psychology. She has conducted two research studies focusing on child development and psychological well-being, which have strengthened her understanding of childhood mental health challenges and effective intervention strategies.

She aims to integrate clinical expertise with a research-informed approach to deliver a comprehensive psychological assessment, diagnosis, and therapeutic support. Her goal is to contribute meaningfully to improving mental health outcomes, especially for children and adolescents, while continuing to expand her knowledge through ongoing research and professional development.

Dr. Humayra Shahjahan Hridi

Researcher

Dr. Humayra Shahjahan Hridi is a medical practitioner with a keen interest in research in public child and adolescent psychiatry. She completed her MD in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry from Bangladesh Medical University (BMU), Dhaka. Her work spans nuanced child and adolescent mental health presentations as well as broader psychosocial challenges. She has conducted research on child and youth mental health issues such as early-onset misophonia in a Bangladeshi child, treatment outcomes in trichotillomania, and bullying and cyberbullying among adolescents in Bangladesh. She has also studied the psychological impact of COVID-19 on frontline healthcare workers. Through diverse research projects, she consistently focuses on advancing the understanding of under-recognized mental health issues in young people while promoting improved care and awareness.

Umme Saima Siddika

Researcher

Ummey Saima Siddika is a clinical psychologist and CBT therapist with 16 years of frontline and academic experience dedicated to closing Bangladesh’s mental-health service gap. Since 2023 she has provided evidence-based individual and group therapy at LifeSpring Consultancy, while simultaneously serving the University of Dhaka community since 2008. Holding an M.Phil. in Clinical Psychology from Dhaka University, she has pioneered culturally-sensitive psychometric tools, most notably the Cognitive Distortion Scale for Bangladesh, and has published widely on anxiety, depression, and caregiver stress. Her career spans teaching clinical psychology to multidisciplinary health-profession students, leading substance-use and women-focused interventions, and conducting ongoing research on resilience among physically-challenged and non-clinical populations.

Md. Imran Hossain

Researcher

Md. Imran Hossain is a dedicated Bangladeshi psychologist and researcher who blends academic rigor with grassroots impact. Armed with an M.S. in Psychology from the University of Chittagong and national fellowships, he has spent the past three years translating science into service: leading evidence-based mental-health interventions for Rohingya and host communities at Terre des Hommes, validating culturally relevant scales in the Culture & Lifespan Lab, and providing online counseling through Monosheba. His toolbox—SPSS, R, Mplus, SurveyCTO—meets real-world fluency in Bengali and English, while conference presentations and forthcoming publications on flourishing and acceptance-rejection testify to a mind equally at home in field clinics and academic journals.

Mohammad Shohel Rana

Researcher

Muhammad Shohel Rana is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Dhaka, specializing in advanced industrial and Organizational Psychology. A gold medalist in his M.S. from the University of Dhaka, he has extensive teaching experience across institutions, including Central Women’s University, Eastern University, University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh, and several government colleges. His research spans cognitive performance, personality, and social psychology, with publications in reputed journals. His proficiency in SPSS and academic research methods demonstrates his dedication to advancing psychological knowledge through both teaching and research.

Saiful Islam Saif

Researcher

Saiful Islam Saif is a public health researcher with a health economics background who served with Lifespring Wellbeing Foundation. He received his bachelor and masters from Institute of Health Economics, University of Dhaka. Currently, his work focuses on mental health, gender-based disparities in healthcare access, and broader public health policy issues. He is interested in the topic of reducing out-of-pocket costs, economic burden on health, universal health coverage, and need-based allocation. He has co-authored several peer-reviewed publications, including studies on gender differences in mental health help-seeking behaviour and access inequities in Bangladesh. His research blends epidemiological methods with a strong emphasis on social determinants of health, aiming to inform policy and improve equitable healthcare delivery. Saif is also involved in case-based clinical reporting, contributing to the understanding of rare neurological conditions in adolescents.

Dr. Sayedul Ashraf Kushal

Psychiatrist, Researcher & Health Entrepreneur

Dr. Sayedul Ashraf Kushal is a Bangladeshi psychiatrist, researcher, health entrepreneur, and social media personality. He is the Founder, Managing Director, and Lead Psychiatrist at LifeSpring Consultancy Limited, a prominent mental health organization in Dhaka. He serves as the executive director of LifeSpring Wellbeing Foundation.

With a medical degree from Dhaka Medical College and postgraduate training at Bangladesh Medical University (MD in Psychiatry), Dr. Kushal has also undertaken specialized training, including an internship in Behavioral Neuroscience in Japan and a fellowship with the Japanese Society of Psychiatry & Neurology. He received the MACP from USA. He is certified in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and is a life member of the Bangladesh Association of Psychiatrists. His research contributions include studies on mental health help‑seeking behavior in Bangladesh, forensic mental health, and patterns of self‑harm among university students. Dr. Kushal’s work bridges clinical practice, research, and public engagement, contributing to mental health policy, training, and awareness efforts in Bangladesh.

Yahia Md Amin

Organizational Psychologist, Entrepreneur, and Leading Voice in Mental Health Advocacy

Yahia Md Amin is an organizational psychologist, entrepreneur, and leading voice in mental health advocacy. As the founder of LifeSpring and Executive Director of the LifeSpring Wellbeing Foundation, he has built one of Bangladesh’s most impactful mental health platforms. Yahia is also a successful digital creator and podcast host, with widely viewed content that educates and empowers audiences across South Asia.

Blending psychology with entrepreneurship, Yahia has pioneered accessible, tech-enabled wellbeing solutions while actively breaking social taboos around mental health. His work includes mentoring young minds, leading national psychoeducation campaigns, and co-authoring research on youth wellbeing, gender-based mental health, and forensic psychology. His focus remains on advancing research, practical interventions, and public awareness to create long-term, systemic change.

Dr. Russell Kabir

BDS, MSc, MPH, PhD
Associate Professor, Anglia Ruskin University

Dr. Russell Kabir is a distinguished Associate Professor of Public Health & Biostatistics at Anglia Ruskin University, UK, bringing over 15 years of exceptional teaching experience and a unique multidisciplinary background that spans both clinical practice and academic research. Originally trained as a qualified dentist with a Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) from the University of Dhaka and having practiced as a dental surgeon in Bangladesh, Dr. Kabir transitioned into public health academia where he has made remarkable contributions to the field.

His academic journey encompasses multiple prestigious institutions across continents. Dr. Kabir holds a PhD in Public Health from Middlesex University, an MSc in Research Methods, and is currently pursuing an MSc in Computer Science with Data Science from the University of Wolverhampton (2024-2025), demonstrating his commitment to integrating cutting-edge technology with traditional public health approaches.

As a prolific researcher with an impressive h-index of 35, Dr. Kabir has published over 200 peer-reviewed articles in prestigious journals and maintains editorial positions with leading publications including PLoS One, BMC Public Health, and the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. His research expertise spans public health epidemiology, mental health and suicide prevention, violence against women, climate change impacts on health, and artificial intelligence in healthcare.

Dr. Kabir’s teaching excellence has been consistently recognized through numerous nominations and awards, including the “Outstanding Supervisor Award” (2020-21) by Anglia Ruskin University and the IJERPH “Outstanding Reviewer Award” (2021). His 15 years of teaching experience encompasses course leadership for multiple MSc and MPH programs, module development, and supervision of over 20 PhD and MPhil students to successful completion.

His authored books, including “Data Analysis with Stata: A Comprehensive Guide” (2022), “Learning SPSS without Pain” (2021), and “Basic Principles of Epidemiology” (2023), have become essential resources for students and researchers globally. As a Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society and the Higher Education Academy, Dr. Kabir serves as an external examiner for multiple UK universities and maintains active collaborations with institutions worldwide.

Dr. Kabir’s unique combination of clinical training as a qualified dentist, extensive research portfolio, proven teaching excellence over 15 years, and innovative approach to integrating technology with public health makes him a respected leader in global health education and research.

Dr. Sheikh M Alif

MBBS, DTM&H, MSc(CTM), MPHBDS, MPH (Epidemiology), PhD (Clinical Epidemiology and Population Health)
Senior Lecturer of Public Health, Institute of Health and Wellbeing, Federation University Australia.

Dr. Sheikh M Alif is a Senior Lecturer in Public Health at Federation University Australia and a Research Fellow in Respiratory Science at the University of Melbourne. A clinical epidemiologist with a PhD in clinical epidemiology and an MPH, he investigates respiratory health, occupational lung disease and exposure science through more than 75 peer-reviewed papers and multiple national reports. He co-leads projects within the Global Burden of Disease study, ASPREE cohort and European Respiratory Health Survey, supported by grants from SafeWork Australia, WorkSafe Victoria and the FASIC Rod Rickards Fellowship for postdoctoral work at INSERM, Paris. Former convenor of the Thoracic Society’s Occupational and Environmental Lung Disease group, he has advised government on bans for engineered stone and domestic wood heaters and serves on the National Occupational Respiratory Disease registry. At Federation University he supervises 20 MPH students, sits on the Early Career Researcher steering committee, and is Associate Editor of Occupational and Environmental Health Journal and Frontiers in Public Health.

Dr. Muntasir Maruf

MBBS, BCS (Health), FCPS (Psychiatry)

Associate Professor of Psychiatry,

National Institute of Mental Health, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Dr Mohammad Muntasir Maruf, is currently working as an Associate Professor of Psychiatry in the Department of Community and Social Psychiatry in National Institute of Mental Health, Dhaka. He has completed his graduation (MBBS) from Dhaka Medical College in 2004 and post-graduate fellowship (FCPS) in Psychiatry in 2013. He has 15 articles published as principal author and 29 as co-author in various national and international scientific journals. He has attended and presented scientific papers in national and international conferences held in Bangladesh, India, Srilanka, Thailand, China and Philippines. He has achieved 6 Fellowship Awards for Young Psychiatrists awarded by regional and international organizations.

Dr. Ali Davod Parsa

MD(GP), PhD (Health Econ), PGD(HSR), PGCE, FRSPH, FHEA, FIHM, FCMI

Associate Professor of Health Economics

Anglia Ruskin University, UK

Dr. Ali Davod Parsa has more than 30 years of experience in research and teaching and has held senior national leadership roles in public health, health management, health economics, and health policy. He is an active researcher in medicine, public health policy, management, and health economics. Dr. Parsa is an Associate Professor of Health Economics, Policy, and Management in the Faculty of Health, Education, Medicine, and Social Care, School of Allied Health, Anglia Ruskin University, UK. He has an established, proven track record of success in senior-level leadership, collaborative research, and teaching excellence at undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral levels.

He held a series of high-profile governmental appointments in the Ministry of Health and Medical Education in Iran before joining higher education institutions in the United Kingdom. Dr. Parsa graduated as a qualified general practitioner from the School of Medicine, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences and Health Services, Iran, in 1994. He worked for a decade as a clinician and then held senior management appointments, during which he developed an interest in policy and healthcare management research. Consequently, he was awarded a Ph.D. in Health Economics from the School of Clinical Sciences and a Postgraduate Diploma in Health Services Research (HSR) from the School of Community Health Sciences, the University of Nottingham, UK. Dr. Parsa is an experienced national-level health manager who has exercised health policymaking at the national strategic level.

Dr. Mohammad Delwer Hossain Hawlader, PhD

MBBS, MPH, PhD
Associate Professor & Director, NSU Global Health Institute (NGHI), North South University

Dr. Mohammad Delwer Hossain Hawlader, PhD is a medical, scientific professional cum academician with 25 years of professional experience, including more than 13 years of experience in health research and project management and 12 years of experience teaching in public health.

He has been working as an Associate Professor in the Dept. of Public Health at North South University (NSU), the leading Private University in the country, and the Director, NSU Global Health Institute (NGHI). He was also a Visiting Associate Professor at Hiroshima University, Japan, and worked as an Assistant Professor at the Bangladesh University of Health Sciences (BUHS). Besides, he worked as an External Associate Supervisor for Doctoral and Masters Level courses at the Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia. He mostly teaches Epidemiology, Research Methodology, Clinical Epidemiology, Global Health, Research Protocol Writing, and Scientific Writing.

Dr. Hawlader has demonstrated his quantitative and qualitative research expertise by publishing more than 154 journal papers in peer-reviewed journals and three book chapters by reputed international and local publishers. He has multiple collaborative research papers with the US, Japanese, Australian, and Swedish collaborators. He has completed a good number of research projects funded by international and national donors. Currently, he is leading several national and university funded projects. He did project consultancy work both nationally and internationally and supervised a significant number of PhD, MPhil, and Masters students’ thesis.

Dr. Md. Tajul Islam

MBBS, DTM&H, MSc(CTM), MPH
Professor (Adjunct), Department of Public Health, North South University

Md. Tajul Islam is a public health professional, researcher, and academician with more than 30 years of experience in the fields of maternal and child health, quality improvement (QI), HIV/AIDS, and non-communicable diseases. He worked in UN agencies such as WHO, UNICEF, and UNFPA, as well as international organizations like ICDDR,B, Save the Children (Senior Advisor), and JICA (Technical Advisor). He is an expert in designing, planning, implementing, and evaluating projects, particularly those focused on maternal and neonatal health care, HIV/AIDS, and quality improvement. He was a member of the National QI Technical Committee and the technical committee of the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) and is currently serving as a member of the editorial board of the BMRC Bulletin.

He played an active role in developing various policy documents (e.g., infection prevention and control guidelines, national QI strategy, maternal and neonatal health strategy, national food fortification programme, and others) and educational materials (e.g., 5S, PDCA, EOC training materials for doctors, nurses, and managers, etc.) for the MOH& FW. He is currently an adjunct professor at North South University, teaching in the MPH programmes. He has a significant number of publications in international peer-reviewed journals with more than 500 citations, including three books on data analysis and epidemiology.

Additionally, he contributed to more than 40 research projects. He is a medical graduate with postgraduate degrees in Tropical Medicine (DTM&H, MCTM) and Epidemiology (MPH) from Mahidol University, Bangkok.