FOUNDATION FACTS
SERVICES COVERAGE AREAS
VITAL Pakistan has an initial focus on the following slum areas to provide access to quality
healthcare for women and children in Karachi.
VISION
To advance access to quality healthcare for women and children.
MISSION
To provide quality maternal and child healthcare services in the underprivileged areas of Sindh.
OUR CONTINUOUS SERVICES
1200K+
ANTIGENS ADMINISTERED
154K+
ANTENATAL VISITS
80K+
CHILD OPD
580K+
HOUSEHOLD VISITS
55K+
PREGNANCIES COVERED
180K+
CHILDREN IMMUNISED
VITAL TEAM AT A GLANCE
OUR LEADERSHIP
AKBAR RAJANI
Chief Executive Officer
AKBAR RAJANI
Akbar leads VITAL’s operations in Pakistan. He is responsible for managing its relationships with various health system stakeholders and building the capacity of the organization to scale-up its programs. He has over 25 years of experience in management, having filled many roles in the Finance, Administration and Operations departments of the Aga Khan University Hospital Karachi, and most recently as Senior Business Manager at the Department of Pediatrics & Child Health. Akbar holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Karachi University.
NADIA AKBAR HUDA
Director Human Resources
NADIA AKBAR HUDA
Nadia provides leadership and consultation to the management on all Strategic HR-related matters. She is a Senior Certified Professional from SHRM- USA and has received an MBA degree from the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Karachi. Nadia has more than 20 years of diversified experience in leading Human Resource functions in different national and multinational companies. Additionally, Nadia has also received three international awards for implementing HR best practices and for achieving excellence in building the Employer’s Brand.
M.NABEEL MUSTAFA QADRI
Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary
M.NABEEL MUSTAFA QADRI
Muhammad Nabeel Mustafa is the Chief Financial Officer (CFO), the Company's Secretary, and the Secretary to the Board of Trustees. As the first employee of VPT, he has been instrumental in shaping the organization’s success, serving as CFO for over a decade. With a career spanning more than 20 years, he brings unmatched expertise in financial accounting, taxation, audit, and compliance, particularly within Pakistan’s NPO sector. Currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Management Sciences at SZABIST University, his dedication to research, deep technical knowledge, and visionary leadership are pivotal in advancing VPT’s mission to transform healthy lives across Pakistan.
DR. RAKHSHANDA ISHAQUE
Senior Technical Lead
DR. RAKHSHANDA ISHAQUE
Dr. Rakhshanda Ishaque has a wealth of experience in the medical field, having worked for over 20 years in various roles. She is currently a Senior Technical Lead- Programs at VITAL Pakistan Trust and holds an MBBS, MBA, and MSc. in Health Policy & Management from AKUH. Prior to this, she was employed by the World Health Organization, MNCH program, IPHQ, and Bolan Medical
DR. AAMIR ABBAS
Director of Data Analytics & Insights
DR. AAMIR ABBAS
Dr. Aamir Abbas holds a Master’s degree in Epidemiology and Biostatistics as well as Health Data Analytics and Information Technology. With over a decade of experience in research positions at organizations like Marie Stopes Society, Aga Khan University, and Spaulding Clinical, he specializes in the intersection of epidemiology and data science. His expertise encompasses advanced analytical methods and clinical data management, driving transformative insights across the healthcare landscape.
PETER JOAQUIM LOBO
Head of Resource Development and Communications
PETER JOAQUIM LOBO
Peter Lobo holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the Hamdard Institute of Management Sciences. He has over 19 years of experience in Operations, Event Management, Alliances, Resource Development and Elite Client handling. In addition, he has worked with other industries and organizations, including Karwan-e-Hayat (KeH), The Aga Khan University (AKU), Education Fund for Sindh (EFS) and The Citizens Foundation (TCF).
KAMRAN PYAR ALI
Senior Manager Grants
KAMRAN PYAR ALI
Kamran Pyar Ali is the Senior Manager Grants at VITAL Pakistan Trust. He holds an M.S in Project Management, M.B.A in Finance, and a certification in Good Clinical Practice from NCURA (USA). He has over 10 years of experience with Aga Khan University Hospital in various roles. His knowledge of IRB, budgeting, and regulatory compliance (national and international) is impressive, allowing him to ensure full compliance with the policies of both the institution and funding agencies concerning preaward and post-award grants management.
DR. NAUSHEEN NAZ
Technical Lead – Family Planning
DR. NAUSHEEN NAZ
Dr. Nausheen is a highly dedicated and motivated healthcare management professional with over two decades of experience in primary and secondary healthcare, leadership, and training arenas in both the private and public sectors. She holds an MBBS degree and an MBA in Marketing from Greenwich University, Karachi. Additionally, Dr. Nausheen is a certified Sonologist and has attended numerous national and international training programs. Her outstanding work and commitment have been acknowledged by the various institutions she has worked for and she was awarded the prestigious ‘Promising Talent of the Year’ award by the Aman Foundation as a testament to her efforts.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
DR. IMRAN NISAR
Dr. Imran Nisar, MBBS, is an Associate Professor and Vice Chair of Research at Aga Khan University. He holds a PhD in Population and Public Health and an MSc in Epidemiology. His research focuses on maternal and child health, infectious diseases, and data sciences. He is currently leading a Hepatitis E Vaccine trial in pregnant women in Pakistan. He is also PI for a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-funded project on laying the groundwork for introducing various maternal vaccines (including RSV and GBS) in Pakistan. The Wits VIDA Institute in South Africa coordinates this multi-country project in Asia and Africa. Dr Nisar is also a GAVI RSV working group member for introducing maternal RSV vaccines in eligible countries. Through his various grants, he has worked towards introducing Pathogen Genomics for clinical and public health purposes at the Aga Khan University. He is the Director of the CITRIC Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology at the Medical College in Aga Khan University.
He represents Aga Khan University, Pakistan, in the Asia Pathogen Genomic Initiative (Asia PGI) housed at the Centre for Outbreak Preparedness at the National University and Singapore. He is a member of the Asia PGI expert working group on wastewater surveillance. He has also worked closely with Chan Zuckerburg Biohub, San Francisco, to build various use cases of pathogen genomics in clinical and public health. He has over 140 publications in leading journals. He teaches graduate courses, mentors students, and serves on the PLOS Global Public Health editorial board. Dr. Nisar is actively involved in professional organisations like ASTMH and contributes to advancing global health research through interdisciplinary collaborations.
NAILA HASAN
Naila Hasan brings over three decades of experience in leading multinational corporations, both domestically and internationally. Her most recent role was as the Business Manager for Pakistan at AstraZeneca, where she served from 2013 to 2022. Previously, she held the position of Therapy Area Director at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) for the Middle East & Africa, based in Dubai. Before her tenure in Dubai, she worked at GlaxoSmithKline in Pakistan, holding various positions, with her last role as Marketing Director. Ms. Hasan initiated her career at Pfizer Pakistan. She holds an MBA degree from the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) Karachi and is a certified director through the Pakistan Institute of Corporate Governance. Currently, Ms. Hasan serves on the boards of Premium Textile Mills and OLP Modaraba (formerly ORIX Modaraba).
RIAZ KHANDWALA
Riaz Khandwala has over 25 years of experience in Finance with Bank of America and Municipal Bond Insurance Association (MBIA).
Since his retirement in 2017, Riaz has kept himself busy by taking on the role of a Detective with the Metropolitan Police in London, taking flying lessons, and honing his drawing and painting skills at the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture.
Riaz holds a Master’s in Business Administration from Rice University, Houston.
DR. SANA SYED, MD, MSCR, MSDS
Dr. Sana Syed is a Pediatric Gastroenterologist whose NIH-funded work focuses on improving global health and combatting childhood undernutrition. As an adjunct research faculty at AKU and an Associate Professor in Pediatrics and Data Science at the University of Virginia in the United States, Dr. Syed aims to facilitate precision medicine by improving the diagnosis and treatment of luminal inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract which contribute to poor growth in children. Her global health work uses cutting-edge molecular and computational methods to study the intestinal structure and function of environmental enteropathy, considered the primary driver for stunting in Pakistan, Zambia, and Bangladesh, as well as other inflammatory bowel diseases. Dr. Syed is also a champion for improving diversity and enabling career development, having spearheaded diversity-focused career development programs for women and underrepresented minorities in science and medicine.
DR. FATIMA MIR
Dr. Fatima Mir is an Associate Professor in the Section of Paediatrics Infectious Diseases at the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health. She is also the Section Head of the same. She completed her FCPS Paediatrics from the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan in 2006, and her MBBS from Khyber Medical College in Peshawar, Pakistan in 1997. She also has a Fellowship in Paediatric Infectious Diseases from The Aga Khan University, Pakistan which she completed in 2010.
Her research interests include Neonatal Infections and Paediatric HIV. She has had various professional roles in her field, including as an Associate Professor, Assistant Professor, and Senior Instructor at The Aga Khan University, Pakistan. She is a member of the Pakistan Medical & Dental Council and the Pakistan Society of Infectious Diseases. Her clinical designation is Consultant Paediatrician, and her specialties include Paediatric Infectious Diseases.
MIDHAT FATIMA
Midhat holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the Institute of Business Administration in Karachi, where she was a Merit Scholarship Holder from 2006 to 2010. Since 2011, she has been serving as the Co-Founder & Director of TEXT, a big data and mobile stakeholder engagement platform for Pakistan. The platform has been granted funds by UKaid to expand education sector services across Pakistan and the Gates Foundation to innovate in primary healthcare services in Sindh’s public sector. Midhat was a Strategy Associate at The Resource Group, a holding company managing a global portfolio of companies in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and IT sectors, from 2010 to 2013. From 2013 to 2014, she served as an Honorary Member of The Fellowship, a series of lectures and workshops launched to groom young women and men who will lead Pakistan’s different Aga Khan Development Network institutions in the future. Her other initiatives include a web project for Oxfam USA’s project for girls’ education in Pakistan and a volunteer-based campaign for collecting donations for flood relief in Pakistan. She also attended The London School of Economics & Political Sciences in 2016 for Qualitative & Mixed Research Methods and is currently taking Data Scientist’s Toolbox from John’s Hopkins University through Online Learning.
OUR MANAGERS
MUHAMMAD ANAS KHAN
Manager Outreach
MUHAMMAD ANAS KHAN
Muhammad Anas Khan has an extensive professional background with 12 years of experience in the social sector, working with organizations like UNHCR, AKU, USAID, and NSP. He was the Senior Executive HR in NutriCo Pakistan Private Limited, a business unit of ICI Pakistan Limited, and Team Leader for the Sindh Government's Nutrition Support Program. He is currently the Manager of Outreach in the EPIK Project at VITAL Pakistan Trust. His responsibilities include managing outreach activities and ensuring the project is implemented effectively and efficiently. He also works closely with the Government of Sindh and other stakeholders to strengthen outreach. With his bachelor's and master's degree from the University of Karachi in Public Administration and MS from ILMA Uni, combined with his vast experience in public health, he is a valuable asset to the project and highly dedicated to his work.
NOUSHEEN FARRUKH
Manager Finance
NOUSHEEN FARRUKH
Nousheen Farrukh is a Chartered Accountant ACA from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP) and an Associate Forensic Accountant (AFA) from the Institute of Forensic Accountants of Pakistan. She has 10 years of diverse working experience in different firms and industries, including external audit, and internal audit Tax, and was associated with Gul Ahmed Electric Limited and Ryan Agencies as Deputy Manager and Manager – Finance, respectively, along with working as Senior Associate at PWC Tax.
SADAF IMAM
Manager Communications
SADAF IMAM
Sadaf Imam is an experienced Communications professional, possessing a Master's degree in Business and Management from the University of Aberdeen, UK, as well as a Bachelor's in Marketing from Southeastern University, Greenwich Campus. With over 20 years of experience in Donor Relations and Communications within the social sector, she has worked with many local and international not-forprofits, such as Marie Stopes Society, Friendship International, CSM (a sister concern of Marie Stopes) and the Education Trust Nasra School. Her people skills make her an invaluable asset to any organization.
Shamsa Barkat Ali
Manager Regulatory and Compliance
Shamsa Barkat Ali
Shamsa Panjwani oversees ethical compliance, monitors research projects, and provides procedural support to the Ethics Review Committee (ERC). With over 17 years of diverse experience at Aga Khan University in Karachi, Shamsa brings invaluable expertise, having most recently served as the Manager of Research Ethics Compliance and Events. Her journey at Aga Khan University began in 2006, where she excelled in various capacities, including coordinating the NIH Fogarty International Centre Program and managing ethical review approvals for departmental grants. Shamsa holds a Master's degree from Karachi University and has completed relevant training programs at Aga Khan University and SRA International, USA.
Ahson Siddique Khawaja
Manager Internal Audit, Risk and Compliance
Ahson Siddique Khawaja
Ahson Khawaja, a Chartered Accountant and Certified Internal Auditor, brings a wealth of 15 years of experience in the Finance and Advisory field to Vital Pakistan Trust. Throughout his career, he has made significant contributions to the Internal Audit and Advisory Departments of various prominent companies, including Deloitte Pakistan, National Refinery Limited, Al Rashed Group, Pakitex Board Private Limited, and GoTrukker Private Limited.
Samina Bakhtawar
Manager Research
Samina Bakhtawar
Samina has over 7 years of experience in the clinical and public health domains. She holds a master's degree in epidemiology and biostatistics from Aga Khan University, with additional expertise in research methodologies, particularly focusing on maternal and child health, family planning, and immunization. Proficient in project management, stakeholder liaison, and team leadership, Ms. Samina exhibits goal-oriented and interdisciplinary approaches. She is dedicated to adhering to project tracking, crafting monitoring frameworks, and demonstrating a steadfast commitment to delivering high-quality outcomes in dynamic environments.
Farzana Shaheen
Manager Data & Digital
Farzana Shaheen
Ms. Shaheen brings with her a wealth of experience and expertise in Technical Project Management and Business Intelligence, having pursued her education at Indiana State University and SZABIST. Over the past 7.5 years, she has made significant contributions to organizations such as Aga Khan University and Sindh Microfinance Bank, where she demonstrated her ability to deliver complex projects and solutions with a proven track record of success. Ms. Shaheen's appointment further strengthens our commitment to leveraging data and digital technologies to advance our mission and improve outcomes for the communities we serve.
Haroon Daniel
Administrator Field Sites
Haroon Daniel
Haroon Daniel is a Post RN BScN and a diploma holder in Accidental Emergency from Liaquat University of Medical Health Sciences. Haroon has successfully served AKUH for more than 23 years, over the last 7 years he served as a Clinical Nurse Coordinator. Earlier in his journey he also worked as a Patient Care Coordinator and Senior Team Leader at AKUH. His strength is more towards the administration and coordination side, and he now aims to contribute towards the goals of VPT.
Hussain Chagani
Manager Supply Chain
Hussain Chagani
Hussain Chagani is a highly experienced Supply Chain Professional with a Master's degree in Business and Management in Supply Chain. With over 14 years of diverse experience at Aga Khan University in Karachi, he has gained invaluable expertise, most recently serving as Assistant Manager in the Purchasing & Supply Chain Management Division at AKUH. His journey at Aga Khan University began in 2010, with a strong focus on purchasing. Now, he aims to contribute his expertise to VITAL Pakistan Trust as Manager Supply Chain.
PARTNERS, COLLABORATORS AND DONORS
VITAL Pakistan has developed deep local partnerships and linkages to advance our mission of saving lives and improving the health of mothers and children in Pakistan.
CHANGE LIVES. SAVE LIVES.
Ensure continued improvement in health care of women and children in Pakistan. Be a part of breaking the rigid norm, raising awareness, and making a difference.
We need your support!
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