Assad Hafeez is a Pakistani

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

who has been serving as Director-General of Health at the

Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination The Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination ( ur, ; abbreviated as MoNHSRC) is a cabinet level ministry of the government of Pakistan with responsibility for national public health. Organization Healthcare was transfer ...

since 2010.

Education

Hafeez is a graduate of the

Army Medical College Army Medical College ( ur, , also known as ''AM College'') is a military institute which was established in 1977 as a residential institution for imparting undergraduate medical education to selected cadets. The college also allows the civili ...

. Specialising in paediatrics, he became a fellow of the

College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan The College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan ( ur, , abbreviated as CPSP) is a regulatory college established in 1962 by a special act of the Parliament of Pakistan to oversee the postgraduate medical education and professional development. ...

and of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health in the United Kingdom. He holds a master's degree in

epidemiology Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population. It is a cornerstone of public health, and shapes policy decisions and evide ...

from the

London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) is a public research university in Bloomsbury, central London, and a member institution of the University of London that specialises in public health and tropical medicine. The inst ...

, and a PhD in

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

from the

University of Manchester , mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity , established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univ ...

Career

After various posts in the public health sector in Pakistan, Hafeez was appointed the Director-General of Health at the

in 2010. His appointment was welcomed by the medical profession because the post is normally given to a political appointee. In this position, he has led various initiatives including the provision of a National Health Insurance Program designed to cover a population of over 100 million people. He is also the Dean at the Faculty of Medical Science at the

Quaid-i-Azam University Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad ( ur, ; commonly referred to as QAU), founded as University of Islamabad, is a ranked 1 public research university in Islamabad, Pakistan. Founded as the University of Islamabad in 1967, it was initially dedi ...

, and the Dean of the Health Services Academy, where he is responsible for the provision of policy advice to the government. From 2015, Hafeez represented Pakistan on the Executive Board of the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of ...

for a four-year term, being elected Vice-Chairman of the Board in May that year and becoming Chairman two years later.

Other activities

Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization GAVI, officially Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (previously the GAVI Alliance, and before that the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization) is a public–private global health partnership with the goal of increasing access to immunization ...

(GAVI), Member of the Board

Publications

Hafeez has published more than 60 articles in peer-reviewed journals and is the author of, or a contributor to, a number of books and monographs on public health.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hafeez, Assad World Health Organization officials Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Pakistani officials of the United Nations Alumni of the University of Manchester Alumni of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Pakistani medical doctors Dr A.T. Shousha Foundation Prize and Fellowship laureates