My name is Sayed Zarif Akbari, prefer to call me “Zarif” as of my nickname. I am excited with my graduate program (MPH) and from being a member of USF School of Nursing and Health Professions family. I am a medical doctor graduated from Kabul University of Medical Science with MD degree and completed a one-year residency in the capital city of Afghanistan, Kabul. I have recently moved to the U.S. with my family and now the U.S. is my second home. My life journey has lots of up and down since I was living in a developing and war-torn country, but, it never stopped me to go ahead for achieving my goals in my professional journey. Despite all, I have always looked forward and am more committed to complete my education and to reach my goal.
When I was graduated, the ineffective health care systems to prevent communicable and non-communicable disease such as TB, malaria, leishmaniasis, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, leprosy, and zoonotic diseases, and malnutrition affected me as a young professional, therefore, I preferred to save lives of a nation rather to work in clinics for individuals with limited facilities and infrastructure. Fortunately, my education and bilingual background were put to constructive use, and I joined an international non-profit organization, which provided basic health services for vulnerable children and women. Joining with an international non-profit organization and working in the health sector; therefore, gave me wider and wiser decisions about my future contribution to the well-being of vulnerable people in my country as well as elsewhere in the world.
To these ends, I Joined the Asian Development Bank (ADB), an international development donor organization, in technical assistance projects for disaster preparedness and socioeconomic capacity building as a national coordinator. Then, my education, knowledge of international development and public health led me to work as an independent consultant with a private hospital and medical university. After that, I joined the United Nations which working there give me the opportunity to improve my management expertise, and attain additional organizational and leadership skills. It means, my work within international organizations has also given me an understanding of the requirements for the successful design and implementation of complex projects, and the need to take careful account of international guidance to apply evidence based principles. All these activities confirm my growing interest in public health, management, leadership, and quality of care.
During my over ten years of work experience, I understood I must further my theoretical knowledge to be effective in my roles. I am sure these courses will fulfill the gaps soon after completing this graduate program. In addition, I have completed two online diploma programs, Global Public Health and Human Nutrition.
