Nessa, Ashrafun

Prof. Ashrafunnessa, PhD, FRCOG, is Professor of Gynaecological Oncology at Bangladesh Medical University (BMU). She completed postgraduate training in obstetrics and gynaecology in Bangladesh and the United Kingdom. Prof. Ashrafunnessa obtained her PhD from the University of Dhaka in 2004, while she worked extensively on cervical diseases and human papillomavirus. She specializes in cervical and breast cancer prevention, HPV, and advanced gynecological oncology.

Prof. Ashrafunnessa participated in the Magpie Trial (Magnesium sulphate for women with pre-eclampsia: a trial to evaluate the effects on women and babies) and the Magpie Trial Follow-up Study with the Institute of Health Sciences, Oxford. She participated as local investigator with the “Collaborative study with International Epidemiologic Study of Worldwide Distribution of Type-specific Human Papillomavirus (HPV) DNA in Cancers of the Cervix Uteri, Vulva, Penis, Vagina, Anus and Oro-Pharynx” with Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO), Barcelona, Spain (2006 – 2016).

Prof. Ashrafunnessa is a nationally and internationally recognized leader in cervical and breast cancer prevention programmes with extensive experience in clinical care, research, and public health implementation. Apart from academic and clinical responsibilities, she has been coordinating with the GOB, national NGOs and many international organizations and contributing to the establishment and scale-up of screening and colposcopy services nationwide. She assisted GOB in introducing VIA (Visual Inspection of Cervix after application of Acetic Acid)-based screening programme at about 600 screening centres at primary to tertiary health care level throughout the country and facilitated in establishment of ‘National Centre for Cervical and Breast Cancer Screening and Training at BMU’ for training, monitoring and helping in developing and maintaining electronic data tracking system for the screening programme. She assisted in developing colposcopy clinics in 52 Government medical college hospitals/district hospitals of Bangladesh. She received the FIGO Award in 2009 for women obstetricians and gynaecologists. She has authored more than 70 scientific publications, including 42 international papers. She is presently actively involved and mentoring HPV and cervical cancer related researches in Bangladesh.