Dr Md Saiful Islam | UNSW Research

My Expertise

My expertise is in emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, surveillance, outbreak investigation, immunisation, and infection prevention and control. I study broader social, behavioural, and infrastructural factors that contribute to disease emergence, spread and prevention. My vision is to integrating social science in epidemic preparedness, response, and recovery as a core component. I use multi-methods to understand community behaviours, attitudes, and practices. To understand the complex and unexpected public health emergencies, I often engage local communities and use social science theories and critical public health research.

Fields of Research (FoR)

Infectious diseases, Public health, Health and community services, Health services and systems

Biography

Dr. Md Saiful Islam is a social epidemiologist and lecturer at the School of Population Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of New South Wales. His research and teaching center on emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, surveillance including wastewater and environmental surveillance, One Health, Zoonotic Diseases, and outbreak investigation, as well as infection prevention and control, including antimicrobial resistance...view more

Saiful earned a PhD in public health from UNSW, focusing on infection prevention and control in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). He completed post-doctoral training in emerging infectious diseases, with a specific focus on COVID-19 contact tracing and quarantine policies, and their implementation in LMICs. Saiful has worked in dynamic and complex environments in Australia and globally, including Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos, Pacific Island countries, Mali, and Mozambique.

His research on emerging infectious diseases emphasizes the One Health approach and integrates social science intelligence in epidemic preparedness, response, and recovery. This includes research on the social and behavioral drivers of emerging pathogen spillover from animals to humans, understanding transmission pathways of Nipah virus, anthrax, and avian influenza. Currently, this work is being undertaken in Australia and Bangladesh.

Saiful's research on infection prevention and control focuses on healthcare-associated infection surveillance, prevalence, and incidence of latent TB among healthcare workers, and the examination of airborne infection control policies and their implementation in LMICs. His research on antimicrobial resistance and stewardship explores perceptions of antibiotic stewardship programs, determinants of antibiotic prescribing patterns among physicians in Bangladesh, and the design and implementation of context-appropriate interventions to enhance the rational use of antibiotics. Additionally, he engages patients and family caregivers in IPC activities in health settings.

My Grants

2023-2024: Exploring factors affecting vaccine uptake and acceptance among zero-dose children, Sabin Vaccine Institute (Washington D.C., District of Columbia, US). URL: https://www.vaccineacceptance.org/operationalizing-of-the-who-besd-framework/
30/06/2018-28/02/2021: Making the invisible visible: saving brains via lead-free districts in Bangladesh, Grand Challenges Canada, Bold Ideas with Big Impact. URL: https://www.grandchallenges.ca/grantee-stars/1810-20755/

My Qualifications

PhD in Public Health, UNSW, Australia

Master of Public Health in Epidemiology and Quantitative Methods, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Master of Social Science in Sociology, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh

Bachelor of Social Science in Sociology, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh

My Research Activities

Key Research Activities and Collaborations

Infection Prevention & Control (IPC) and Antimicrobial Stewardship

Strengthening the function of Infection Prevention & Control and Antimicrobial Stewardship committees in tertiary care hospitals in Bangladesh
Piloting Health Care Associated Infections (HAI) surveillance in selected tertiary care hospitals of Bangladesh
Surveillance and outbreak investigations for emerging infectious diseases
Piloting infection control interventions for severe infections spread by the respiratory route

Antibiotic Use and Resistance

Antibiotic Use and Surgical Sites Infections among C-Section and Abdominal Surgery Patients in Low-Resource Healthcare Settings: An observational study
Use of antibiotics in commercial cattle, poultry, and fisheries in Bangladesh

among family caregivers (FCGs) in some selected district hospitals in Bangladesh

Vaccination and Public Health

Exploring the burden and factors affecting vaccine uptake and acceptance amongst zero-dose children and women using the WHO behavioral and social drivers (BeSD) framework in Bangladesh
Making the invisible visible: saving brains via lead-free districts in Bangladesh

Pandemic preparedness and response

COVID-19–Related Infodemic and Its Impact on Public Health
COVID-19 vaccine rumors and conspiracy theories and its impact
Rapid formative assessment for new and routine vaccines and COVID-19 vaccine introduction – caregiver survey and providers survey in seven Pacific Island countries
COVID-19 contact tracing and quarantine policies in the Indo-Pacific Region
Assessing the burden of laboratory-confirmed influenza

Zoonotic and Emerging Pathogens

Social and Behavioral Drivers of Emerging Pathogens Spillover from Animals to Human
Bangladesh-Myanmar Cross Border Surveillance for Zoonotic Diseases
Investigations of anthrax outbreaks and risk factors for anthrax in humans and domestic animals in Bangladesh
Poultry rearing practices and the risk of Avian Influenza transmission in humans
Reducing the risk of Nipah virus transmission from patients to caregivers
Nipah virus transmission from date palm saps and traditional liquor

Tuberculosis

Reducing Tuberculosis infection among healthcare workers in tertiary care teaching hospitals through rapid identification and cohorts of suspected tuberculosis cases
Tuberculosis infection control practices and the risk of latent tuberculosis infection among healthcare workers in Bangladeshi hospitals

Child Health and Mortality

Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS)-Ongoing
Piloting postmortem specimen collection for diagnosing the cause of death in a Bangladeshi Medical College Hospital