Dr. Shabnum Sarfraz, Global Director for Gender and Health/ Deputy Executive Director, is a senior development professional with 15+ years of leadership experience in managing large-scale and high-impact project portfolios, leading multi-disciplinary and cross-cultural teams, and working collaboratively across institutions both locally and internationally. She previously worked for the Planning Commission, Government of Pakistan heading the complete cluster of Social Development in Pakistan which includes Health, Population, Education, SDGs, and Youth Affairs. Dr. Sarfraz was responsible for the overall financial control and oversight of the cluster’s delivery and performance and managed a broad range of legislative, policy, and structural reforms. She previously served as Senior Technical Advisor to MSI UK, Regional Human Resource for Health Advisor for WHO; and Member Country Team for IPPF.  

In her 20-plus years of experience in the development sector, Dr. Sarfraz created valuable cross-sectoral linkages with the political, bureaucratic, and technocratic leadership, academia and senior research professionals, bilateral & multilateral agencies, and private and the non-profit sector. Her areas of interest are designing and executing large and complex systems and policy interventions. Her pioneering work on human resources for health (HRH) has been recognized by WHO as a model for the region to replicate. She has worked with a myriad of donors and development partners including DFID, UKAID, USAID, FHF, GFATM, IOM, ADB, and WHO. She is also, notably, co-founder of the first Women in Global Health Chapter in South Asia for advancing gender trans-formative leadership in Pakistan.

She holds a master’s degree in management from Surrey University, UK; a bachelor’s degree in medicine from Pakistan; and post-graduate certifications from LUMS-McGill University, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health; and Queen Margaret’s University, Edinburgh, UK. Dr. Sarfraz was one of four global health pioneers selected for the inaugural cohort of the Women in Global Health LEAD Fellowship at Harvard Global Health Institute and served as a Visiting Scientist at the Department of Global Health & Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She sits on several boards, regional, national, and international committees, and working groups, and serves as senior advisor to multiple public and private sector institutions in Pakistan for their social sector initiatives.