Saima Wazed Hossain (; born 9 December 1972), also known as Putul (), is a Bangladeshi

autism The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

activist. She is the daughter of Bangladesh's Prime Minister,

Sheikh Hasina Sheikh Hasina Wazed (''née'' Sheikh Hasina ; ; bn, শেখ হাসিনা ওয়াজেদ, Shēkh Hasinā, , born 28 September 1947) is a Bangladeshi politician who has served as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh since January 2 ...

. She is a member of the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level o ...

's 25-member Expert

Early life and education

She was born to

, the present Prime Minister of Bangladesh, and

M. A. Wazed Miah M. A. Wazed Miah ( bn, এম এ ওয়াজেদ মিয়া; 6 February 19429 May 2009) was a Bangladeshi physicist and the writer of a number of texts in physics and some political history books, a former Chairman of the Bangladesh ...

, a nuclear scientist. Her brother is

Sajeeb Wazed Joy Sajeeb Ahmed Wazed ( bn, সজীব আহমেদ ওয়াজেদ; born 27 July 1971), also known as Sajeeb Wazed Joy (), is a Bangladeshi businessman and politician. He is a member of the Awami League and serves as Advisor to the Gover ...

. She graduated from

Barry University Barry University is a private Catholic university in Miami Shores, Florida. Founded in 1940 by the Adrian Dominican Sisters, it is one of the largest Catholic universities in the Southeast and is within the territory of the Archdiocese of Mia ...

. She is a licensed school psychologist.

Career

She organized the first South Asian conference on Autism in 2011 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. She is the chairperson of National Advisory Committee on Autism and Neurodevelopmental disorders. She campaigned for “Comprehensive and Coordinated Efforts for the Management of Autism Spectrum Disorders” resolution at the World Health Assembly which adopted the resolution,

Autism Speaks Autism Speaks Inc. is a controversial autism advocacy organization and the largest autism research organization in the United States. It sponsors autism research and conducts awareness and outreach activities aimed at families, governments, an ...

praised her for spearheading "a truly global push for support for this resolution". She is a member of World Health Organization's 25-member Expert Advisory Panel on mental health. In November, 2016, Wazed had been elected as chairperson of International Jury Board meeting of

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...

for Digital Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities. In April 2017, Wazed has been designated as

WHO Who or WHO may refer to: * Who (pronoun), an interrogative or relative pronoun * Who?, one of the Five Ws in journalism * World Health Organization Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Who, a creature in the Dr. Seuss book '' Horton He ...

Champion for Autism” in South-East Asia. In July, 2017 she became the Goodwill Ambassador of the

(WHO) for autism in South-East Asia Region. Since 2022, she has been a member of the Commission for Universal Health convened by

Chatham House Chatham House, also known as the Royal Institute of International Affairs, is an independent policy institute headquartered in London. Its stated mission is to provide commentary on world events and offer solutions to global challenges. It is ...

and co-chaired by

Helen Clark Helen Elizabeth Clark (born 26 February 1950) is a New Zealand politician who served as the 37th prime minister of New Zealand from 1999 to 2008, and was the administrator of the United Nations Development Programme from 2009 to 2017. She was ...

and

Jakaya Kikwete Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete (born 7 October 1950) is a Tanzanian politician who was the fourth president of Tanzania, in office from 2005 to 2015. Prior to his election as president, he was the Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1995 to 2005 under hi ...

Awards

In 2016, Wazed has conferred World Health Organization's South-East Asia Region Award for Excellence in Public Health. In 2017, she has been awarded the ''International Champion Award'' for her outstanding contribution to the field of autism. She received a distinguished alumni award from

for her activism.

Personal life

Saima is married to Khandakar Masrur Hossain Mitu, son of

Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain (born 25 September 1942) is a Bangladeshi politician. He is the incumbent Jatiya Sangsad member representing the Faridpur-3 constituency since 2009. He served as a minister of the Minister of Labour and Employment, ...

. The couple have 4 children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wazed, Saima Autism activists Bangladeshi psychologists Bangladeshi women psychologists Barry University alumni Living people World Health Organization Sheikh Mujibur Rahman family 1972 births Bangladeshi health activists