Dr Sabera Turkmani’s passionate advocacy for women’s rights and health is both highly professional and deeply personal.
Dr Sabera Turkmani
Dr Turkmani won the UTS Faculty of Health Alumni Award in October as recognition for her life-changing work as a public health practitioner for vulnerable populations in under-resourced environments. Born in Afghanistan, she escaped to Iran before the age of two, before returning in 2003 as a fresh midwifery graduate eager to help millions of women in need.
She has made a significant contribution to improving maternal health, Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH) and evidence-based practice through my work with the UN agencies, USAID, communities, governments, NGOs, and bilateral and multilateral agencies and academic organisations in Afghanistan, Iran, Bangladesh, and Australia.
Dr Turkmani is the co-founder in establishing one of the most powerful and largest women-led enterprises in Afghanistan, the Afghan Midwives Association and a key player in development of national reproductive health policies and midwifery education strategies and policies.
Her life-saving efforts helped increase the number of midwives in the country from 460 to 4,500, while the maternal mortality rate dropped from 1,800 per 100,000 births to 300. The program transformed lives – in a myriad of ways. With their new midwifery skills and knowledge, women who previously felt helpless and invisible instead became inspiring role models.
She moved to Australia to pursue a life in academia in 2013, when she began as a researcher at UTS.
Her first project centred on female genital mutilation (FGM). The use of her findings around the world showed her the power of academia in action – the magnitude with which data can be shared with other organisations fighting for justice.
Dr Turkmani then pursued her PhD at UTS, exploring how to improve quality maternity services for FGM victims in Australia.
She is currently working as a Research Fellow with Burnet Institute in a project looking at midwife birthing centres and establishing low resource settings. Using case studies in Bangladesh, Pakistan, South Africa and Uganda, to develop a theory of change that can guide scaling up and implementation of best practices for under resourced settings.
Find out more
For more information about our research impact in the Faculty of Health or for collaboration opportunities, contact:
Professor Angela Dawson
Associate Dean of Research, Faculty of Health
E: Angela.Dawson@uts.edu.au
T: +61 (02) 9514 4892
PO Box 123 Broadway NSW 2007 Australia
