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Staff profile

Overview

Ms. Halima Akhter

Summer School Academic (Casual)

Affiliations
AffiliationTelephone
Summer School Academic (Casual) in the Department of Anthropology 
Student Fellow in the Durham Research Methods Centre

Biography

Halima's PhD research, titled "Caesarean Births in Bangladesh: Navigating Decision-Making, Birth Challenges, and Health Implications for Maternal and Neonatal Health", focuses on the causes of high rates of caesarean sections (CS) in Bangladesh, the CS decision-making process, and the health implications for mothers and babies. Using a mixed-methods approach, she collected data from Bangladeshi mothers with recent CS experiences and investigated the subsequent short- and long-term health repercussions for mothers and infants following CS. Additionally, she gathered data from the healthcare providers, including obstetricians, nurses, and midwives, as well as husbands and senior female family members of the participating mothers, to understand the CS decision-making process and the birth challenges of mothers. Halima employed Brigitte Jordan’s concept of 'authoritative knowledge' to examine the decision-making of CS in Bangladesh. She also applied Ivan Illich's concept of  'medical iatrogenesis' to explore the health implications and multifaceted challenges confronting mothers undergoing CS. 

Her PhD research project, funded by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, UK from 2019 to 2023, won this grant in a nationwide open-round competition in Bangladesh. Before her PhD, Halima completed a Commonwealth Professional Fellowship at the University of Birmingham in 2014.  She holds a Master of Social Science (MSS) and a Bachelor of Social Science (BSS) degree in Anthropology from Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST), Sylhet, Bangladesh. Since 2009, Halima has been working as a faculty member at SUST, where she has been appointed as an Associate Professor (currently on study leave) in the Anthropology department. Her ORCID Profile 

Research interests

  • Co-production
  • Qualitative Research Methods
  • Ethnographic Research Tools
  • Mixed Methods Research
  • Maternal and Reproductive Health
  • Health, Illness and Culture
  • Medical Anthropology
  • Anthropology of Reproduction
  • Medical Ethics
  • Health Policy Development
  • Mental Health and Well-being

Esteem Indicators

  • 2019: Commonwealth PhD Scholarship:
  • 2014: Commonwealth Professional Fellowship: University of Birmingham, UK