‘Nurses’ Voices from Southeast Asia’
Session Five of the worldwide 'Nurses' Voices Speaker Series'
Session One Recording available here >>> Session Two Recording available here >>> Session Three Recording available here >>>
Session Four Recording available here >>> Session Six Recording available here >>> & Session Seven Recording available here >>>
Session Four Recording available here >>> Session Six Recording available here >>> & Session Seven Recording available here >>>
This Session Five is featured from our Nurses’ Voices Speaker Series—an innovative global multi-media outreach of eight Sessions to be broadcasted from across the world. Noting that INFLUENCE is the watchword of Dr. Pam Cipriano—the 2021-2025 President of the International Council of Nurses (ICN)—this Series aims is to prepare and engage nurses—including students and retirees—to become inspired and informative thought-leaders across the global public space—to influence the listening ears of everyone!
Session Five was broadcasted virtually on March 12th, 2024 and co-hosted by the United Nations Institute for Training & Research (UNITAR), UNITAR's CIFAL York Centre for training at York University in Toronto, Canada, and the Nightingale Initiative for Global Health--featuring leading voices from Bangladesh, India, the Maldives, Nepal and Pakistan as well as Southeast Asian nursing students from the Internationally-Educated BScN Programme at York University in Canada . This Series and Session are also co-sponsored by the Integrative Nurse Coach Academy (INCA) and the Global Academy of Holistic Nursing (GAHN).
Presenters’ Bios
MODERATOR Starting at minute 1:52 and throughout the Session
Phalakshi Manjekar, PhD, MScN, RN Dr. Manjrekar has served on the Board of Directors for the Nightingale Initiative for Global Health (NIGH) since 2011. She is the distinguished Nursing Director and Member of the Board of Managers (Trustees) at the P.D. Hinduja National Hospital & Medical Research Centre.In these roles, she is responsible for the oversight and professional development of 700 staff directly under her charge — including nurses practicing in both hospital and clinic setting settings. She has also initiated responsibility to widen nursing’s outreach through a growing Hinduja Hospital Mobile
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Health Clinics venture — extended, across 2015 — to six Mobile Units aimed to provide free primary health care to 1,000 patients per day, among Mumbai’s outlying urban poor. To address the multiple concerns of nurses and nursing educators across India, she has conferred with global and regional nursing leaders in Canada, the UK, and from across the Commonwealth, as well as in Switzerland and in India — where she has attended World Health Organization briefings in Geneva and at WHO SEARO in New Delhi. She has developed related presentations to keynote for an international conference of the Commonwealth Nurses & Midwives Federation in London, UK and for an official ‘Parallel Panel’ of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in New York City. She has served as Chairperson of Nurses’ Welfare for the Maharashtra state Chapter of the national Trained Nurses Association of India (TNAI). In 2017, she received her Doctorate in Nursing from the historic and leading-edge SNDT Women's University in Mumbai. In her service to NIGH, Dr. Manjrekar has been featured on NIGH’s websites — where she has contributed key articles on Indian maternal health outcomes and disaster preparedness and has authored and co-authored two textbook chapters directly related to her work with NIGH.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER Starting at minute 9:08
Deepika Cecil Khakha, PhD, MA, MScN, RN Dr. Khakha is the Nursing Advisor for the Indian Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and serves as a Member of the World Health Organizaation ‘Global Clinical Practice’ network. Serving as both an international and national consultant, Dr. Khakha’s accomplished academic career includes 67 peer-reviewed journal publications with more than 700 citations. She has written for numerous published textbooks, chapters and monographs and organized 12 conferences and 50 workshops. Her awards include the Fogerty Fellowship at New York University (2002-2003), an AIDS |
International Training and Research Fellowship at the University of California, Los Angeles (2007), the 2021 Excellence Award from the national Trained Nurses Association of India (TNAI) and the National Health WHO Diamond Jubille Year Award for 2023. She has worked for the All India Institute of Medical Science — in different capacities — for 34 years.
PANELISTS
Ramesh Venkatesa Perumal, RN, MScN, PhD, CCNE, CCSNE, CNCC©.
Starting at minute 29:05 Dr. Perumal is an Assistant Professor at the York University School of Nursing in Toronto, Canada. He is an internationally Educated Nurse (IEN) with more than 30 years of experience in Clinicals, Teaching, Research, and Community Service gained at various institutions in India, Oman, and Canada. He holds a Bachelor of Science, a Master of Science degree in Nursing, and a PhD in Nursing. He is the first doctoral graduate in Nursing at York University, Canada. He is the Coordinator of the Internationally Educated Nurses BScN Program at York University. |
Maynul Hassan, BScN, MPH, RN starting at minute 41:20
Mr. Hassan serves as the International Affairs Secretary of the Bangladesh Nurses Association. He is a Nurse with a passion for training an education. His career objective is to leverage his clinical expertise and teaching skills as a Nurse Teacher. Maynul is committed to nurturing the next generation of nurses by imparting comprehensive knowledge, fostering critical thinking and instilling a commitment to compassionate patient care. He aims to contribute to the growth and success of nursing education programs, creating an engaging and supportive learning environment that prepares students for success in their nursing careers. |
After completing a bachelor’s degree in Nursing in 2012, Mr. Hassan completed a Master’s in Public health with a focus on Epidemiology in 2015. Currently he is completing a second master’s degree in nursing, specializing in Ophthalmic Nursing. He has been teaching at the Mohammadpur Model Nursing Institute for the last five years. Mr. Hassan also has training in Hospital Management and Leadership & Management, with experience working in the Intensive Care Unit with Covid-19 patients in a Covid-19 dedicated hospital.
Tazeen Shaeed Ali, PhD, BScN, MSc, RN, RM Starting at minute 1:07:58
Dr. Ali currently serves as an Interim Dean and the Shakur Jamal Endowed Professor at the Aga Khan University, School of Nursing and Midwifery, in Karachi, Pakistan. Additionally, she serves as this School’s Associate Dean of Research and Innovation with a joint appointment as faculty member at the department of Community Health Sciences at the Aga Khan University Medical College. Dr Ali has worked as an Public Health Nurse Practitioner in the community and successfully ran clinics focusing on areas including antenatal, post-natal, immunization, acute care, child health and minor illnesses. Her extensive experience in these fields has contributed to her expertise and knowledge in healthcare practice and management of population. She also holds |
several notable distinctions in her nursing career — as the first nurse in Pakistan to achieve a Master's degree in Epidemiology and as the sole PhD nurse from the Karolinska Institute, Sweden. As a distinguished alumna of the Aga Khan University, she also holds the distinction of being the first to pursue a Post-Doctorate in policy development and equity. Her expertise in this field has led her to work closely with government officials and NGOs, collaborating on various policy initiatives, including advocating to address gender-based violence, specifically emphasizing the importance of protecting women from domestic abuse. Her efforts have been instrumental in driving positive change and promoting equity and justice in society.
Mana Kumari Rai, RN speaking at minute 1:37:21
Professor Mana Kumari Rai is currently serving as the volunteer President of the Nursing Association of Nepal. She started her nursing career as a nursing instructor who supervises students from assistant nurse midwives to staff nurses to nurses a the graduate Masters level — guiding student nurses through different life settings, community, college and hospital. Her multiple concerns are new emerging diseases and nursing practice; nurse-patient ratio mismatches; and unemployment and low pay. Due to the global demand and open market, there will be a shortage of nurses in Nepal. To these ends, Ms. Rai is self-motivated and committed to doing what she can including lobbying concerned ministries and institutions, convening meetings and discussions with authorities. |
Mariyam Shifaana Hussain, RN Speaking at minute 1:59:20
Ms. Hussain currently serves as President of the Maldivian Nurses Association. Her many clinical assignments include working for the International Federation of Red Cross & Red Crescent, the American Red Cross, the Maldives Girl Guides Association, the Maldives National Defence Force, the Maldives Police Academy, the Rapid Response Team of the [Maldives] National Emergency Operations COVID Center and in numerous roles as Medic Vaccinator against the Flu, Measles and COVID. She also serves as a Nurse Trainer / Lecturer at the Technical & Vocational Education & Training Authority of the Maldives Ministry of Higher Education and at Maldives Polytechnic. Her volunteer roles include as a Community Health Nurse, a Health Educator for the Cancer |
Society and to achieve Volunteer Health Screenings for Aged Care Maldives. Of these roles, Ms. Hussain has said, “I am enthusiastic about fighting for a cause that helps humanity. My love for my beliefs is strong and my loyalties lies with my family. When I am committed, I am an unstoppable force that should be reckoned with as I do not give up easily and would fight the battle to the end.”
FEATURED STUDENT NURSES
Rozina Jafaq, MHA, PGD, B.Comm, Post-RN BScN (c) speaking at minute 2:33:32
Rozina Jafaq is an Internationally Educated Nurse pursuing a Post-RN BScN degree at York University, Toronto, and an alumna of the Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan — with a career vision that tomorrow will be the result of today’s actions and reminds herself daily that it is still possible to achieve what she hasn’t achieved yet. Apart from a tremendous professional and academic background, Rozina has extensive years of experience in the fields of Health Service Organization, Nursing, Quality & Accreditation, Strategic & Operational Administration, Clinical System Management, and Research. Throughout her professional trajectory, she held various positions, including Nurse Manager – Clinical Recruitment, Nurse Supervisor, Head |
Nurse, Clinical Instructor, and Senior Critical Care Emergency Registered Nurse, both in her home country and the countries where she practiced i-e at Aga Khan University and New Mowasat Hospital, Kuwait. Additionally, in Canada, she had an opportunity to serve as a Faculty at Centennial College, School of Community and Health Studies in Toronto, Supervisor Wellness Nurse, and Volunteer Peer Health Coach in the Canadian Cancer Society in their BETTER program, which is an innovative and evidence-based peer health coaching program, a partnership between the Canadian Cancer Society and Women’s College Hospital through joint funding from the Canadian Cancer Society, The Peter Gilgan Foundation, Women’s College Hospital Foundation, and the Public Health Agency of Canada, and as a Trained Prevention Practitioner from the Master Training Institutes i-e University of Toronto, University of Alberta, and Women’s College Hospital Toronto of The BETTER program. She currently serves as an executive member of the Nursing Students Association of York (NSAY). Rozina was featured by the Canadian Cancer Society as a Peer Health Coach on International Volunteer Day — a blog published on Dec 6, 2021 (Du Cancer, n.d.). Conversely, Rozina graduated with a distinction in Master of Health Administration and received a Merit Award from Aga Khan Education Services for securing the 2nd position on the board exam. She also holds a Postgraduate in Public Administration, a Bachelor of Commerce degree, and has authored a remarkable number of publications.
James Ehiagwina, BScN, Spec. Hons (c) Speaking at 2:39:13
James Ehiagwina is a Direct-Entry Nursing student at York University, actively engaged in building a sense of community on campus through involvement in student groups. Currently, he serves as the president of the Canadian Black Nurses Alliance (CBNA) at York University and a cohort representative for the Nursing student association at York University (NSAY). Beyond the campus walls, James strives to remain connected to his community and pursue his passions. He demonstrates a deep commitment to mental health and wellness by volunteering as a member of the National Youth Council for Kids Help Phone. Outside of his academic and professional life, James enjoys playing frisbee and spending quality time with friends. As a devoted movie enthusiast, he is always on the lookout for captivating films. With his origins in Nigeria, James has. a clear vision for the future with plans to become a registered nurse. |
Shreejana Katuwal, RN, BScN (c) Speaking at minute 2:49:22
Shreejana received their undergraduate degree in nursing at Pokhara University in Nepal in 2010. Shreejana has years of experience in clinical settings in both Nepal and Canada. In Nepal, she have served as an ER and ICU nurse, as well as a nursing instructor at Nepal's Teaching Hospital. In Canada, Shreejana has worked as an RPN at The Rekai Centres in Toronto. Currently, she is enrolled in the Post-RN Internationally Educated Nurses (IEN) program at York University. |