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Usman Waheed graduated in Medical Laboratory Sciences from the National Institute of Health,Islamabad, Pakistan. He secured first position in the University and was awarded a merit scholarship. He did his M.Sc. in Biochemistry from the Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi and then completed M.Phil. in molecular biology from the Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad. He also has a Diploma in Public Health (SDC, Pak), Certification in Epidemiology (LSHTM, Lon) and Fellowship in Transfusion Medicine (NBTS, Sri Lanka). Usman has received postgraduate trainings in transfusion medicine, nucleic acid testing and plasma fractionation from Czech Republic, Germany and Netherlands. He is currently pursuing a PhD in molecular haematology. His PhD project is on investigation of the molecular and genetic features of HIV in disease pathogenesis.
Mr. Waheed joined the Blood Transfusion Services of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) as a Medical Technologist in 2007. He also served as the Visiting Lecturer at the College of Medical Technology, Islamabad. Later, he joined the National HIV/STI Referral Laboratory, National AIDS Control Programme, Ministry of Health. His research on evaluation of HIV screening kits was considered very important contribution and recommended a National Testing Strategy for Pakistan. At the National AIDS Control Programme, he was also responsible for training and education of health care and public health workers for HIV testing and counseling. He then joined GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit) as Technical Advisor to implement the nationally coordinated blood transfusion service in Pakistan through the Safe Blood Transfusion Programme. He contributed to the organizational development of the National and Provincial Blood Transfusion Programmes and was a core member of the team which developed the Blood Safety Acts and Functional Briefs for Regional Blood Centres and Hospital Blood Banks in Pakistan. He also has a rich experience in implementing the regulatory framework at the federal and provincial level.
Presently, Usman is working as a Technical Expert in the Safe Blood Transfusion Programme and the Islamabad Blood Transfusion Authority, Ministry of NHSR&C, Government of Pakistan. He was a member of the core team of experts which formulated the National Blood Policy ad Strategic Framework (2014–20). His current assignments include conduction of field inspections in order to ensure compliance to blood safety Acts, strengthening of blood transfusion systems through capacity building of professionals (in public and private sector hospitals) and implementation of the regulatory framework.
Usman has more than 50 research publications to his credit which have been published in national and international journals. In addition, he has authored handbooks related to laboratory sciences:
(1) Zaheer HA, Waheed U, Ansari A. Disaster Management in Blood Transfusion Services. SBTP, 978-969-98812-1-3, 1st Edition, 2015 (2) Brown R, Waheed U, Arshad M, Farooq A, Ansari MA. Medical Laboratory Instrumentation, 2014. 978-969-23015-0-3. 1st Ed, Published by SAAMLS Pakistan. (3) Waheed U, Ansari A, Ullah A, Ali I. Clinical Microbiology. 2013, 1st Edition, ISBN 978-969-9880-02-5 (4) Waheed U. Laboratory Techniques in Haematology and Blood Banking. 2013, 1st Edition, ISBN 978-969-9880-00-1 (5) Waheed U, Ansari A, Ahmad B, Malik MA. Serological Techniques in Immunology (2012). PublishAmerica Baltimore, LLLP. ISBN 9781462694129
He is also the Editor of two peer-reviewed journals. Usman has also gained a very rich experience over the last few years in organizing large national level seminars, workshops, consultations, etc. and has very good communication skills. Usman is a member of many professional bodies and international expert working groups and has represented Pakistan in many scientific conferences at national and international level. • Chair, Board of Certification, American Society for Clinical Pathology • President, South Asian Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists (SAAMLS) • Member, International Society for Infectious Diseases (ISID) • Member, International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT) • Founding Secretary General, Pakistan Society of Blood Transfusion (PSBT) • Governing Council Member, Asian Association of Transfusion Medicine (AATM) • Member, Pan-American Society for Clinical Virology (PASCV) • Member, e Health Association of Pakistan (eHAP) • Founding Vice President, Pakistan Association of Medical Laboratory Sciences (PAMLS) • Associate Member, International Federation of Infection Control (IFIC) • Associate Member, Infectious Diseases Society of Pakistan (IDSP)
Usman Waheed won the Harold Gunsen Fellowship Award by the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT) for two consecutive years in 2014 (Seoul) and in 2015 (London).
He is visiting faculty and examiner for B.Sc. Medical Laboratory Technology at the University of the Punjab, University of Lahore, Isra University, and Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences.