Manizha Ashna is a physician and global health researcher whose work explores the intersections of gender, health, and human rights in conflict-affected and low-resource settings. She is currently a Research Fellow at the Raoul Wallenberg Institute, where her research examines Afghan women’s lived experiences under Taliban restrictions, with a particular focus on health rights and gender-based inequalities.
Manizha has extensive experience in health research, monitoring and evaluation, and program implementation. She previously served as National Gender Officer with the World Health Organization (WHO) in Afghanistan, where her work focused on gender mainstreaming in health and emergency settings. She has also worked with Jhpiego, a global health affiliate of Johns Hopkins University, contributing to initiatives aimed at improving the quality of health services in low-resource contexts. In addition, she has held consultancy roles with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), supporting health projects in Afghanistan and the Republic of the Congo.
Manizha holds a Doctor of Medicine (MD) from Balkh University and a Master of Science (MSc) in Interdisciplinary Health Sciences from the University of Ottawa, Canada. She is currently completing her PhD in Population Health at the University of Ottawa.