About Us

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Global Health Strategists and Implementers (SMC-PVT) Limited, is a premier Pakistani consulting firm, locally owned and operated, dedicated to strengthening public health systems and pandemic preparedness. Founded in December 2018 and led by renowned epidemiologist Dr. Rana Jawad Asghar (US EIS Alumnus & former US-CDC Resident Adviser), GHSI leverages an elite nationwide network of Pakistan's top public health professionals.

Our Expertise & Impact:

• Proven Leadership: Dr. Asghar established the award-winning Pakistan FELTP, the first globally to integrate military and veterinary professionals into field epidemiology.

• Elite National Network: Our consultants provide unparalleled on-ground coverage across all regions of Pakistan.

• High-Impact Solutions: We deliver technical assistance in pandemic preparedness, infectious disease control (including supply chains), NCD programs (e.g., Hypertension control for Resolve to Save Lives), surveillance, and outbreak response for partners like WHO, Asian Development Bank, Health Security Partners, Chemonics International, and the Government of Pakistan.

• Innovative "One Health" Approach: Active collaborations via LOIs with the Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (animal health/food security surveillance) and Health Services Academy (training) ensure a multi-disciplinary, whole-of-society response to health emergencies.

Chief Executive :

Dr. Rana Jawad Asghar has worked as a Resident Advisor of the Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Program (FELTP) in Pakistan from  2006 - 2018 (workforce capacity development in surveillance and response, setting up surveillance systems, laboratory capacity enhancements, One Health). Under his leadership his program has won many top international awards of excellence including  2016 US-CDC Director FETP Award of Excellence in Outbreak Response.  WHO has called it a "Model" program which other countries should benefit from" He was an Epidemic Intelligence Service Fellow at CDC, Atlanta before coming to Pakistan. He has served as program manager for child survival project in Mozambique, faculty member at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Research Associate in the Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine at Stanford University. He completed his Masters in Public Health at the University of Washington, where he was a Fellow of Training in International Emerging Infectious Diseases. He did his basic medical education in Pakistan from Allama Iqbal Medical College and membership in family medicine from College of Physicians and Surgeons, and was a Franklin Adams Scholar for a year in the Bristol University, UK in the department of Epidemiology. Currently he is also serving four years term as a member of International Health Regulations (IHR) Rooster of Experts in Epidemiology and Surveillance. He is also adjunct professor in the Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center 

Some recent projects & assignments:

• Adviser on Infectious Diseases to Federal Ministry of Health, "Core Committee for novel Coronavirus disease (COVID-19)" (Jan-March 2020)
• Member “Advisory committee to WR / WHO Pakistan on COVID19 and other Public Health Issues”
•  Independent Consultant for "Willis Towers Watson" (London) on Asian Development Bank for “Developing a Disaster Risk Transfer Facility in the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Region” (2020-2021)
• Consultant for HS Partners USA for “Advancing Health Security in Indonesia, in support of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency Biological Threat Reduction Program’s (DTRA/BTRP) partnership with the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI)
• WHO Temporary Adviser

1. Strategic Framework for Prevention and Control of Emerging and Epidemic Prone Diseases in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, Inter-Country Meeting from 16 to 19 December 2018, in Amman, Jordan
2. Evaluation of Surveillance Systems with Emphasis on Influenza Sentinel Surveillance in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, April 15 – 19, 2019, Tunis, Tunisia

Senior Consultant: 

Dr. Khalid Naeem Khawaja 

Dr. Khalid Naeem Khawaja is a One Health Expert, who acquired the degrees of DVM from the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan in 1976 followed by MSc (Microbiology) in 1980. In 1990 he completed his PhD degree in Virology from the University of Minnesota, USA. He later served for 35 years at different research, teaching and administrative positions at the National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC), Islamabad, Pakistan. Zoonotic Disease Management and Molecular Characterization of related pathogens have been his major area of work, where he has coordinated to set up and run a National Avian Influenza Control Program between 2002-2015 at NARC, which eventually led to the successful control of Bird-Flu in Pakistan in 2008. Later on, in collaboration with Massey University, New Zealand, his research team set up the first ONE HEALTH PAKISTAN network in 2012 for coordinating surveillance of major Zoonoses, (CCHF, Brucellosis and Influenza) in collaboration with the National Institute of Health, Islamabad.

Dr. Naeem is an approved WHO-Certified Biosecurity Auditor, possessing experience of evaluating some specific pathogen handling facilities around the country. He currently serves as Adjunct Professor at the department of Animal Genomics and Biotechnology at the PARC Institute of Agricultural Sciences at NARC.  He has supervised thesis research of 45 MPhil & 10 PhD students, and published 70 research papers in peered reviewed journals. 

Dr. Naeem serves on number of National Policy Formulation Committees including AMR containment, Zoonotic disease management, and National Lab Policy development groups.  

Coordinator Implementation:

Dr. Shumyle Mukhtar has a background in epidemiology, gender-based violence, and sexual and reproductive health. She has worked in emergency and flood response settings. Working as a program manager in Indus Hospital and Health Networks she established Women and Girls Friendly Spaces in Sindh and South Punjab. As a Program Coordinator for JHPIEGO, she coordinated public health initiatives across Punjab, KPK, AJK, and GB. Dr. Mukhtar also served as ICT Focal Person for COVID-19 surveillance and vaccination in Islamabad. She is a medical graduate from AJK Medical college and MSPH from Health Services Academy, Islamabad.