Halima Akhter

Dr Halima Akhter is an anthropologist of health specialising in maternal health, healthcare decision-making, care-seeking behaviour and patient experiences. She recently completed a PhD in Anthropology of Health at Durham University, UK, funded by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission. In 2014, she was awarded a Commonwealth Professional Fellowship at the University of Birmingham, UK. She earned both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Anthropology from Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Bangladesh.

She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Bangladesh, with more than fifteen years of experience in teaching, research and academic leadership. Her work draws primarily on ethnographic and qualitative methods, alongside mixed-methods approaches, to examine childbirth, healthcare decision-making, health systems, wellbeing, gender and the social organisation of care. Her current research interests include childbirth decision-making, reproductive health, healthcare experiences, and the social and institutional dimensions of health and care.