Syeda Naz

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EDUCATION

PhD, Health Policy and Demography, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania

MS in Public Health (Demography track), Department of Population, Family, & Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland

MSc, Statistics, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan

BSc, Mathematics, Statistics & Economics, Punjab University, Lahore, Pakistan

RESEARCH FOCUS

My research focuses on the impact of social context and the natural environment on reproductive health and child health outcomes. I apply demographic and causal inference methods to investigate issues related to equity in health. Core areas of my research are: 

Health disparities, maternal and child health, reproductive health, birth spacing, causal inference, demographic methods

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Children’s Health Services Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, 2022-2023

Global Health Consultant, The World Bank, 2022-2023

Sector Specialist (Public Health), United Nations Development Programme, 2023

Research Fellow, Population Research Institute, Pennsylvania, 2020-2021

Graduate Research Assistant, Pennsylvania State University, 2016-2021

Data and Evidence Manager, Development Alternatives, Inc. (DAI), 2012-2016

Program Officer (Monitoring, Evaluation & Research), Population Council, 2006-2012

PUBLICATIONS

PEER REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS

Campbell, AG, Jackson, D, Knies, A, Naz, S, Scott, E, Gharbi, S, & Wiehe, SE. (2026). “A Structural Examination of Racial Differences in Pharmacologic Treatment Among Opioid Exposed Infants.” Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-026-02948-6

Shenk M, Naz S, Chaudhry T. (2025). “Intensive Kinship, Development, and Demography: Why Pakistan Has the Highest Rates of Cousin Marriage in the World.” Population and Development Review, 50(4): 949-1494.  http://doi.org/10.1111/padr.12678

Campbell AG, Naz S, Peña A. (2024). Breastfeeding Behaviors by Race/Ethnicity and Foreign-Born Status in the United States; An Analysis of the US National Survey of Children's Health. Breastfeeding Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1089/bfm.2024.027

Campbell AG, Naz S, Wiehe S, et al. (2024). "The Concordance of Electronic Health Record Diagnoses and Substance use Self-Reports Among Reproductive Aged Women Enrolled in a Community-Based Addiction Reduction Program" INQUIRY: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing, 2024;61.

Naz, S., & Acharya, Y. (2021). The Effect of Reframing the Goals of Family Planning Programs from Limiting Fertility to Birth Spacing: Evidence from Pakistan. Studies in Family Planning, 52(2): 125-142. https://doi.org/10.1111/sifp.12155

Acharya, Y., James, N., Thapa, R., Naz, S., Shrestha, R., & Tamang, S. (2021). “Content of antenatal care and perception about services provided by primary hospitals in Nepal.” International Journal for Quality in Health Care, 33(2). https://doi.org/10.1093/intqhc/mzab049

Acharya Y, Luke N, Naz S, Sharma D. (2020). “Exposure to Conflict-related Violence and Nutritional Status of Children in Iraq.” Social Science and Medicine-Population Health, 11:100585. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2020.100585 

Acharya Y, Naz S, Galway LP, Jones AD. (2020). “Deforestation and Household- and Individual-Level Double Burden of Malnutrition in Sub-Saharan Africa.” Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 4:33. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2020.00033

NON-PEER REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS

Naz S, Memon A, Zaidi M (2016) “Alif Ailaan Pakistan District Education Rankings 2014-2016.” Sustainable Development Policy Institute and Alif Ailaan. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.13835.21283

Naz S, Zaidi M (2015) “Midterm report card on the education-related performance of the members of the national and provincial assemblies.” Alif Ailaan. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.33967.87201

Naz S, Haque M, Zaidi M (2015) “Going Local: Union council-level education statistics and how they can inform policy.” Case study of District Thatta. Alif Ailaan. 

Naz S, Zaidi M (2015) “Not Free at All: Profiling the costs parents incur on education.” Alif Ailaan. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.20546.09929 

Hashmi, A, Naz S, Zaidi M (2015) “Education: The Inescapable Pakistani Conversation.” Alif Ailaan. link

Azhar M, Khan AS, Naz S, Pastakia F, Rashid A, Shah SA (2014) “The Voice of Teachers: Learning from Teachers across Pakistan.” SAHE and Alif Ailaan. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.12157.49124

Naz S, Pastakia F, Zaidi M (2015) “25 Million Broken Promises: The Crisis of Pakistan’s Out-of-School Children.” Alif Ailaan. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.17190.65601

Naz S, Mahmood A (2012). “Contraceptive Use Dynamics in Pakistan, 2008-09.” Population Council, Pakistan. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.32290.15040

Mahmood A, Nisar Y, Naz S. (2012). “Introduction of Emergency Contraceptive Pills through Lady Health Workers Program in Pakistan: Findings of an Evaluation Study.” DOI: 10.31899/rh2.1027 

Naz S, Mahmood A (2012). Assessment of management information system [MIS] of national program for family planning and primary health care [LHW Program]. DOI: 10.31899/rh2.1028

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

“Evaluating the Impact of the South Carolina Contraceptive Access Initiative on Contraceptive Method Switching and Uptake of More Effective Methods” CityMatCH Annual Conference, Portland, Oregon. 2026

“Impact of South Carolina’s Contraceptive Access Initiative on Method Switching” American Public Health Association Annual Conference, San Antonio, TX. 2026

“Impact of the South Carolina Statewide Contraceptive Access Initiative on Unintended Pregnancy: Results from the Longitudinal Study of Women” AcademyHelath Annual Research Meeting, Seattle, WA. 2026

“Impact of the Choose Well Initiative on Contraceptive Counseling and Subsequent Use” Society of Family Planning Annual Conference, Pittsburg, PA. 2025

“Impact of the Choose Well initiative on Patient Experiences with Contraceptive Counseling and Subsequent Contraceptive Use: Results from the Longitudinal Study of Women” American Public Health Association Annual Conference, Washington, DC. 2025

“Determinants and Outcomes of Exchange Marriages in Pakistan,” Population Association of America, Washington, DC. 2025

“Landscape of Contraceptive Provision in States with Restrictive Reproductive Health Policies in the Southeast United States” American Public Health Association Annual Conference. Minneapolis, MN. 2024

“Breastfeeding among foreign-born non-Hispanic black women in the United States” American Public Health Association Annual Conference. Minneapolis, MN. 2024

“Contraceptive Counseling Practices of Family Physicians in States with Restrictive Reproductive Health Policies” AcademyHealth Annual Conference, Baltimore, MD. 2024

“Concordance between self-reported versus clinical documentation of mental illness among women of child-bearing age.” American Public Health Association Annual Conference, 2023.

“Self-reported substance use among women of child-bearing age compared to indication of substance use in clinical records.” American Public Health Association Annual Conference, 2022. 

“Minority-Majority Religious Group Differences in Fertility: A Propensity Score Matching Approach Applied to South Asia.” Population Association of America Annual Meeting, 2021.

“Medicaid Expansion and Financial Barriers to Care: A Difference-in-Differences Analysis,” AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting, Washington-DC, 2019.

“Declining Contraceptive Prevalence in Pakistan: Evidence from FALAH Intervention,” Population Association of America, Austin, 2019.

“Low-cost Private Schooling in Pakistan: A Panacea or Delusion,” IUSSP International Population Conference, Cape Town, South Africa, 2017.

“Data conundrum: Estimates of out-of-school children in Pakistan,” Eleventh Annual Sustainable Development Conference, Islamabad, 2014. 

“Postpartum Family Planning Use: An Opportunity to Address Unmet Need in Pakistan?” IUSSP International Population Conference, Busan, South Korea, 2013. 

“How Much Can Improvement in Contraceptive Continuation Rates Raise Prevalence,” IUSSP International Population Conference, Busan South Korea, 2013. 

“Uptake of Contraception following Childbirth,” Population Association of Pakistan meeting, Karachi, Pakistan, 2012. 

“Contraceptive Switching in Pakistan,” Asian Population Association, Bangkok, Thailand, 2012. 

“Will Contraceptive Use Go up if Pakistani Couples Keep Talking?” Population Association of America, San Francisco, 2012. 

“Contraceptive Use Dynamics in Pakistan,” International Conference on Family Planning, Dakar, Senegal, 2011. 

“Weak Commitment to Modern Contraceptive Methods— A Reason for Low Prevalence in Pakistan?” Population Association of America, Washington, DC, 2011. 

PERSONAL INTERESTS

Cooking, running, hiking, and exploring local parks with my son