An Intrepid Journey through the Past, Present and Future of Global Child Health

Dr. Zulfiqar A. Bhutta, Ph.D., MBBS, FRCPCH, FAAP, FRS, spoke on, “An intrepid journey through the past, present and future of global child health.”

He is the Robert Harding Inaugural Chair in Global Child Health and Policy at the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, and the Co-Director of the SickKids Centre for Global Child Health. He is also the Distinguished University Professor and Founding Director of the Institute for Global Health and Development and the Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health, at the Aga Khan University, unique joint appointments. He holds adjunct professorships at several leading Universities globally including the Schools of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore), George Washington University (DC), Boston University School of Public Health, as well as the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

Dr. Bhutta was a member of the Independent Expert Review Group (iERG) appointed by the UN Secretary General for monitoring global progress in maternal and child health MDGs (2011-2015). He represented the global academic and research organizations on the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations (Gavi) Board and served on its Evaluation Advisory Committee. Dr. Bhutta was also the co-Chair of the Global Countdown for 2015 and 2030 Initiatives from 2006-2017, co-Chair of the Maternal and Child Health oversight committee of World Health Organization (WHO) Eastern Mediterranean Region and a technical member of the high-level UN Health and Human Rights committee.

Dr. Bhutta has published 10 books, over 150 book chapters, and 1,385 indexed publications to date. He is one of the most highly cited academics in global health and was recently ranked among the top 150 medical scientists globally by Research.com. He leads large research groups in Canada, Pakistan and East Africa researching issues of relevance to global health and has a special interest in health and development across low- & middle-income countries.

Dr. Bhutta has received numerous awards over the years, most recently being recognized by the Senate of Canada with its Canada 150 Medal for contributions to Global Child Health, admitted to the National Academy of Medicine and elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society. He was awarded the Roux Prize 2021 for his work on evidence-based public health impact, the 2022 John Dirks Canada Gairdner Global Health award and more recently Canada’s Henry Friesen Prize for International Health Research, as well as the Nils Rosén von Rosenstein Medal (2024) by the Swedish Medical and Pediatric Societies.

The lecture was created in honor of Dr. Hussain, an award-winning writer and photographer, an internationally known explorer, a teacher-researcher and a distinguished thoracic and cardiovascular surgeon. Dr. Hussain holds emeritus professorships in thoracic and cardiovascular surgery, as well as humanities at The University of Toledo.

Knowledge Stream is made possible by a generous gift provided by the Appold Family Charitable Fund.