Goalkeepers’ Champion: Dr Zahra Hoodbhoy recognised for nutrition innovations

Dr Zahra Hoodbhoy, Associate Professor of Paediatrics and Child Health at Aga Khan University (AKU), has been nominated for the Goalkeepers Awards and Champions by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for her innovative contributions to the health sector.

Having been involved in public health research for nearly a decade, Hoodbhoy is a physician trained at AKU, Karachi. With experience in implementing hospital and community-based projects which includes designing and conducting research projects, and collaborating with local and international researchers, she has produced several peer-reviewed publications.

Goalkeepers recognises remarkable individuals, who are taking action to help achieve the Global Goals by 2030, every year.

This year, Goalkeepers will honour 10 exceptional Champions, who are experts, innovators, advocates, and leaders from around the world—making remarkable progress and Hoodbhoy is nominated among them from Pakistan.

In low-resource settings, she has been working on creative results for maternal and child health with the assistance of artificial intelligence tools and next-generation prenatal vitamins.

The pediatric professor’s research interventions comprise public health interventions along with AI tools. This helps in empowering the community workers so that the expectant mothers can be triaged by them before and after the delivery.

Notably, Hoodbhoy is also one of the investigators involved in the planned clinical trial of the next-generation multiple micronutrient supplement (MMS+) at her institution, according to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

With this, improved pregnancy outcomes for mothers dealing with food insecurity, malnutrition, and anaemia are anticipated by her team at the AKU.

Moreover, Hoodbhoy, throughout her professional journey, observed that pregnancy-related research disregarded women’s health considering them as only vehicles for the babies. Consequently, her approach challenges this systemic medical discrimination by prioritising mothers’ well-being as well as ensuring they receive the care they need throughout their pregnancy journey and beyond.