Dr. Thrina Islam is a Bangladeshi physician, epidemiologist, and public health researcher with extensive experience in clinical research, epidemiology, implementation science, and health systems research. She earned her Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) from Mymensingh Medical College, completed a Master of Public Health (MPH) in Epidemiology from North South University, Bangladesh, and obtained a Master of Science (MSc) in Global Public Health from Canterbury Christ Church University, United Kingdom.
Her professional career spans government, international, and academic research organisations, where she has played leading roles in designing, implementing, and managing large-scale clinical and population-based research. She previously worked at the Centre for Injury Prevention and Research, Bangladesh (CIPRB) under a United Nations-supported programme, contributing to national maternal and child health initiatives with a particular focus on cervical cancer prevention, women's health, and public health research.
Dr. Islam has participated in more than 100 clinical and public health research projects, including vaccine clinical trials, epidemiological investigations, national Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) surveys, implementation research, and multicentre population-based studies. She has also supervised the development of over 1,000 scientific manuscripts, providing mentorship in research methodology, biostatistics, data analysis, scientific writing, and publication across a broad range of medical and health science disciplines.
One of the defining milestones of her career was her frontline contribution during the COVID-19 pandemic. As an Outbreak Investigation Officer at the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) under the direct technical supervision of the World Health Organization (WHO), she led epidemiological investigations in several high-risk outbreak zones, including Wari (Dhaka), Narayanganj, Munshiganj, Rajshahi during the Delta variant wave, and Sylhet Division during the emergence of the Alpha (UK) variant. Her responsibilities included outbreak investigation, epidemiological surveillance, contact tracing, cohort investigations, field risk assessment, coordination with local health authorities, and real-time disease intelligence reporting, contributing significantly to Bangladesh's national COVID-19 response.
Dr. Islam also made substantial contributions to Bangladesh's national cervical and breast cancer control programmes while serving at the National Cervical and Breast Cancer Screening and Training Centre. She played a key role in the implementation of the national HPV vaccine clinical trial involving approximately 7,000 adolescent girls, supervised cervical cancer screening services, and trained hundreds of physicians, nurses, and midwives in cervical and breast cancer screening, neonatal care, outbreak preparedness, and research methodology.
Since 2021, Dr. Islam has served as the Director of Research and Development at the International Online Journal Hub (IOJH), where she has led institutional research strategy, publication development, grant support, project management, and research capacity-building initiatives. Under her leadership, numerous researchers, clinicians, postgraduate trainees, and healthcare professionals have successfully completed research projects and published in peer-reviewed international journals.
As the Founder and Chief Researcher of The Scholaro, Dr. Islam is dedicated to strengthening research capacity through evidence-based mentorship, advanced methodological training, scientific consultation, and publication support. Her vision is to develop a new generation of independent researchers capable of producing high-quality, impactful scientific evidence that addresses national and global health challenges.
Her scholarly interests encompass infectious diseases, epidemiology, cervical cancer prevention, maternal and reproductive health, implementation research, vaccine research, climate change and health, environmental epidemiology, and health policy. Widely recognised for her academic leadership and commitment to evidence-based practice, Dr. Islam continues to contribute to advancing research excellence, professional development, and improved healthcare outcomes in Bangladesh and beyond.
