Dr. Zulfiqar A. Bhutta PhD, MBBS, FRCPCH, FAAP, FRS, is the Robert Harding Inaugural Chair in Global Child Health and Policy at the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, and the Co-Director of the SickKids Centre for Global Child Health. He is also the Distinguished University Professor and Founding Director of the Institute for Global Health and Development and the Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health, at the Aga Khan University, unique joint appointments. He also holds. He holds adjunct professorships at several leading Universities globally including the Schools of Public Health at Johns Hopkins (Baltimore), George Washington University (DC), Boston University School of Public Health, University of Alberta as well as the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Prof Bhutta is a designated Distinguished National Professor of the Government of Pakistan and chaired the Board of Governors of the National Institute of Health from 2021-2024, and the National Health and Population Advisory Committee of the Federal Ministry of Health Services, Regulation and Coordination. Dr. Bhutta was a member of the Independent Expert Review Group (iERG) appointed by the UN Secretary General for monitoring global progress in maternal and child health MDGs (2011-2015). Dr. Bhutta was also the co-Chair of the Global Countdown for 2015 and 2030 Initiatives from 2006-2017, co-Chair of the Maternal and Child Health oversight committee of World Health Organization (WHO) Eastern Mediterranean Region and a technical member of the high-level UN Health and Human Rights committee.

Dr. Bhutta was educated at the University of Peshawar (MBBS) and obtained his PhD from the Karolinska Institute, Sweden. He has published ten books, over 150 book chapters, and 1350 indexed publications to date (H index 218). He is one of the most highly cited academics in global health and was recently ranked among the top 100 medical scientists globally by Research.com. He leads large research groups in Canada, Pakistan and East Africa researching issues of relevance to global health and has a special interest in health and development across low- and middle-income countries.

Dr. Bhutta has received numerous awards over the years, most recently being recognized by the Senate of Canada with its Canada 150 Medal for contributions to Global Child Health, admitted to the National Academy of Medicine USA and elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society. He was awarded the Roux Prize 2021 for his work on evidence-based public health impact, the 2022 John Dirks Canada Gairdner Global Health award and more recently Canada’s 2023 Henry Friesen Prize for International Health Research and the 2024 Nils Rosén von Rosenstein Medal by the Swedish Society of Medicine for contributions to global child health. He has been recognized by the Government of Pakistan several times with the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz (2001), the President of Pakistan Pride of Performance Award (2017) and recently the Sitara-i-Imtiaz (2023) for contributions to science and education.