Dr Salimah R. Walani
Dean, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Pakistan
Dr Walani is the Dean, AKU School of Nursing and Midwifery, Pakistan.
She holds a PhD in Nursing Research and Theory Development from New York University, a Master of Public Health from Harvard University, a Master of Science in Nursing from Simmons College, Boston, and her initial nursing and midwifery education from AKU.
In her distinguished career, Dr Walani has worked in various senior leadership, advisory and consultative roles in international organisations of high esteem, such as the World Health Organization, UNICEF, New York University, March of Dimes and the New York City Department of Health to name a few. Through international collaborations and her expertise in global advocacy, she has made a significant impact on maternal and child health programs.
Before joining AKU, Dr Walani was Global Policy and Advocacy Advisor at MiracleFeet – a US-based not-for-profit organisation with programmes in 35 countries, and previously, as Vice President of Global Programs at the March of Dimes Foundation, USA. She has held faculty positions at Felician University in New Jersey, the University of Connecticut, Arizona State University and Pace University, New York.
In 2014, Dr Walani helped create a partnership to launch the World Birth Defects Day – a global movement for advancing birth defects prevention and care. She is a member of the World Health Organization's Technical Advisory Group for Birth Defects and is an honorary member of the International Clearinghouse for Birth Defects Surveillance and Research.
With her wealth of global leadership and academic experience, Dr Walani is poised to lead the AKU School of Nursing and Midwifery, Pakistan, as its current Dean into the next phase of institutional excellences through enhanced global and national partnerships and alignment with the University's mission, vision and values.
