30/09/2026
icddr,b was pleased to welcome Ms Samantha Dignam, First Secretary, Development (Health), High Commission of Canada to Bangladesh, during her first visit to the institution since arriving in Bangladesh recently.
She succeeds Mr Edward Cabrera, First Secretary, Development (Health), a valued friend and partner of icddr,b. Ms Dignam was accompanied by Ms Farzana Sultana, Development Advisor, GAC, Dhaka.
Her visit began with a tour of icddr,b’s Dhaka Hospital, where she visited the Emergency Unit, the SRHR Corner and Breastfeeding Counselling service, Intensive Care Unit, and Nutrition Rehabilitation Unit. Dr Md. Fazlul Kabir, Head of Clinical & Diagnostics Services, and Dr M Zakirul Karim, Head of Hospital, guided her through the facilities.
At the Breastfeeding Counselling service, counsellors explained how the programme supports mothers with exclusive breastfeeding and relactation, free of charge. Dr Sayeeda Huq, Associate Scientist at icddr,b, briefed Ms Dignam on the hospital’s sexual and reproductive health and rights activities, which provide support to mothers of children receiving care at the hospital.
At the Nutrition Rehabilitation Unit, Dr Sharika Nuzhat, Associate Scientist, Hospitals, explained how children with severe malnutrition can often recover within two to three weeks through carefully planned dietary management, using appropriate combinations of locally available foods and ingredients and also with icddr,b developed ready to use therapeutic food (RUTF).
Dr Mohammod Jobayer Chisti, Senior Scientist at icddr,b, introduced Ms Dignam to the ultra-low-cost bubble CPAP device used in the treatment of severe childhood pneumonia and hypoxaemia, and being used in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Malawi. He explained how the technology has been helping save the lives of children suffering from measles-associated pneumonia and respiratory distress during the ongoing measles outbreak in Bangladesh.
At the icddr,b Genome Centre, Dr Mohammad Jubair, Senior Research Investigator, briefed her on the Centre’s role in supporting cancer diagnosis and advanced biomedical research.
Ms Dignam also visited the Mucosal Immunology and Vaccinology Laboratory, where Dr Firdausi Qadri, Senior Scientist at icddr,b, shared insights into ongoing vaccine research and Bangladesh’s national preventive oral cholera vaccination programme.
Later, Ms Dignam met members of icddr,b’s Senior Leadership Team. Dr Tahmeed Ahmed, Executive Director, presented an overview of icddr,b’s more than six decades of life-saving research, innovation and health services, and highlighted some of the institution’s major contributions to global health, which were made possible by longstanding support by Canada and its citizen to icddr,b.
Ms Dignam recently arrived in Bangladesh from her previous posting in Senegal. This is her first assignment in the subcontinent, and she shared that she is already enjoying her time in Bangladesh.
We look forward to continued collaboration with Global Affairs Canada in advancing health research, innovation and better health outcomes in Bangladesh and beyond.
