University of Alberta, Canada
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🎓 Educational Background
Dr. Sumera Aziz has cultivated an impressive academic journey marked by excellence and international recognition. She recently earned her Ph.D. in Epidemiology from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, New York, USA (2019–2024), where she also obtained an MPhil in Epidemiology (2019–2022). Earlier, she completed her FCPS in Community Medicine from Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan (2013–2017), and acquired an MSc in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from the same institution (2010–2012). Her medical career began with an MBBS (equivalent to an MD) from Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan (2003–2009). These academic milestones reflect her unwavering commitment to public health and medical research.
💼 Professional Experience
Currently, Dr. Aziz serves as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Alberta, Canada (2024–present), continuing her impactful research on maternal and child health. She was previously the Head of Research at Research Guide LLC in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA (2020–2024), and a Fulbright Scholar and Teaching Fellow at Columbia University (2019–2024). Her academic roots lie in Pakistan, where she held several key teaching and research positions at Aga Khan University, including Assistant Professor, Senior Instructor, and Instructor in the Department of Community Health Sciences (2013–2019). Dr. Aziz brings a wealth of academic leadership and field experience spanning over a decade.
🏅 Honors and Awards
Dr. Aziz’s scholarly excellence has been widely recognized through numerous prestigious awards and fellowships. She was awarded the Alberta Innovates Postdoctoral Recruitment Fellowship valued at CAD $70,000 (2024–2026) and the Fulbright Scholarship to support her PhD at Columbia University (2019–2024). Her outstanding contributions earned her the Jeremiah Barondess Award in Epidemiology (2024) and the Allan Rosenfield Alumni Award for Excellence (2019–2021). She also received the Capacity Development Scholarship from the National Institutes of Health, USA, and was honored with the Outstanding Teacher Award at Aga Khan University (2018). In addition, her research presentations won first prizes at national public health conferences for both oral and poster categories. She was also a scholarship recipient for her MBBS degree from the Aga Khan Education Service, Pakistan.
🔬 Research Grants and Projects
Dr. Sumera Aziz has served as Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator on multiple high-impact research projects with global and national significance. Most notably, she led the Pakistan site of the Women First Study (2013–2020), funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, with a budget exceeding US$ 1.49 million. This study explored preconception maternal nutrition and its effects on child growth and neurodevelopment in Pakistan, India, Guatemala, and DRC. She also led a UNICEF-funded health system analysis (2018–2019) on maternal and child health services in Pakistan (US$ 149,973), and a study on birth registry data quality (2017–2019). As a Principal Investigator, she examined the costs of vaginal and cesarean deliveries in Karachi hospitals (2017–2018). Additionally, she contributed as Co-Investigator in the Antenatal Corticosteroid Trial (ACT), a global study assessing neonatal mortality reduction through preterm birth interventions, funded by the NICHD. She was also involved in the measles immunization evaluation in Sindh (2014), supported by GAVI, WHO, JICA, and other partners, and worked on the Leadership in Family Planning and Reproductive Health Project, funded by the Packard Foundation.
🌍 Global Health Impact
Dr. Sumera Aziz has consistently demonstrated leadership in maternal and child health, community medicine, and health systems research. Her work spans across continents and collaborations with top-tier institutions and global health agencies, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, UNICEF, NIH, and WHO. Her rigorous, community-centered research is helping shape health policies and improve maternal and child health outcomes in resource-constrained settings.
Notable Publications📄
📄Prevalence of hypertension and associated factors: a cross-sectional study in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Authors: Nasser S.M., Seema Mohammed; Shubair M.M., Mamdouh Mohamed; Fatani F.; Javed S., Shahan; El-Metwally A.A.S., Ashraf Abdel Salam
Journal: BMC Health Services Research
Year: 2025
📄Role of preconception nutrition supplements in maternal anemia and intrauterine growth: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Authors: Ali S.A., Sumera Aziz; Genkinger J.M., Jeanine M.; Kahe K.; Krebs N.F., Nancy; Kuhn L., Louise
Journal: Systematic Reviews
Year: 2025
📄Anthropometric and sociodemographic variables, but not preconception or prenatal maternal nutrition supplementation, predict neurodevelopment in offspring of the ‘Women First’ trial
Authors: Waldrop S.W., Stephanie W.; Chowdhury D., Dhuly; Westcott J.E., Jamie E.; Hambidge M.K., Michael K.; Krebs N.F., Nancy F.
Journal: Maternal and Child Nutrition
Year: 2024
📄Zinc Supplementation Initiated Prior to or During Pregnancy Modestly Impacted Maternal Status and High Prevalence of Hypozincemia in Pregnancy and Lactation: The Women First Preconception Maternal Nutrition Trial
Authors: Kemp J.F., Jennifer F.; Hambidge K.M., K. Michael; Westcott J.E., Jamie E.; Goldenberg R.L., Robert L.; Koso-Thomas M.W., Marion W.
Journal: Journal of Nutrition
Year: 2024