Afsana Karim

Dr. Afsana Karim is a leader in health systems strengthening in Bangladesh, with over 22 years of experience in developing and implementing large-scale integrated public health programs. Her expertise spans all levels of the Bangladesh health system, showcasing agility and responsiveness in achieving results for complex projects. 

Dr. Karim currently is the Deputy Chief of Party of the USAID Bhitti (meaning “foundation”) Activity, providing overall technical leadership and program management to improve affordability, equity, and quality of health care in Bangladesh. Prior to joining RTI, Dr. Karim was the Country Director and Chief of Party for the Bangladesh component of the global USAID-funded Medicines, Technologies, and Pharmaceutical Services (MTaPS) Program, where she managed a team that helped expand digital tools and advanced the institutionalization of eLearning courses at the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW), contributing to workforce development and resource optimization. She also served as the interim COP and Senior Technical Advisor on the USAID-funded MaMoni Maternal and Newborn Care Strengthening Project (MNCSP), where she adeptly translated global evidence into actionable strategies on health systems strengthening, significantly improving the quality of maternal and newborn service delivery at national and district levels. As the former Program Director on the USAID-funded Strengthening National Midwifery Program (SNMP), Dr. Karim led a team of 60 and contributed to the development of national guidelines on midwifery. This transformative initiative resulted in midwifery becoming a mandatory position at private hospitals conducting C-sections.

Beyond her technical expertise, Dr. Karim is a skillful relationship manager, having successfully led multidisciplinary teams across community, district, and national levels. Her ability to cultivate productive partnerships is evident in the collaborations with key international and national partners/stakeholders.