Chairperson, Shuchona Foundation & Commissioner, Commission for Universal Health

Saima Wazed a licensed School Psychologist, nationally certified in the US, is currently a faculty member at Adrian Dominican School of Education (ADSOE) at Barry University, Florida, USA.

A graduate from Barry University in Florida, she is an expert on neurodevelopmental disorders and mental health, and an accomplished speaker whose efforts has led to international awareness, policy and program changes, and the adoption of three international resolutions at the UN and WHO. Her other interests are multi-modal therapy and crisis intervention counselling, and development of multi-disciplinary/multi-stakeholder partnerships, among others.

She is an Advisor to the DG of WHO on Mental Health and Autism, and a member of the WHO’s Expert Advisory Panel on Mental Health. She has been appointed as the Thematic Ambassador for ‘Vulnerability’ of the Climate Vulnerable Forum, and recently as a Commissioner of the Commission for Universal Health. Additionally, she is the Chairperson of the Bangladesh National Advisory Committee for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders, and Chief Advisor for National Mental Health Strategic Plan Working Group. She is also the focal Person for Disability for the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, Government of Bangladesh, to ensure that mental health and issues related to persons with disabilities are incorporated into the international guidelines developed by UNISDR. She was WHO’s Goodwill Ambassador for Autism in the South-East Asia Region prior to which she was WHO’s regional champion for autism in South Asia. Ms. Wazed has been educated in Bangladesh, India, and the US. Currently she is pursuing her doctoral degree from Barry University and is also the Chairperson of her own NGO – Shuchona Foundation – a not-for-profit advocacy, research and capacity-building organization based in Dhaka.