Newcastle, NSW · Bengali & English
Umma Shakera Naima
PhD candidate in Clinical Epidemiology & Medical Statistics · Statistician · Mum of two
I study how women's mental health changes over time, help researchers make sense of their data, and guide students who want a funded PhD, the same road I took from Rajshahi to Sydney to Newcastle.
About me
I'm a statistician by training and a public health researcher by choice. I started with statistics at the University of Rajshahi, worked on health research at icddr,b in Bangladesh, then moved to Australia for a Master of Public Health at the University of Sydney.
Today I'm doing my PhD at the University of Newcastle and Hunter Medical Research Institute on an Australian Government RTP Scholarship, while raising an infant and a toddler. I completed my MPH through a pregnancy and a newborn, so I know first-hand how much a woman can carry at once.
I share the real, messy side of that life on Instagram, volunteer with Wesley Mission, the Australian Red Cross and the blood donation organisation Badhon, and help others who want to walk the same path.
MPH: Bangabandhu Science & Technology Fellowship
BSc: CZM Genius Scholarship
My journey
Bangladesh → Australia- 2014 – 2019
BSc & MSc in Statistics, University of Rajshahi Scholarship
Where I learned to love data. Awarded the CZM Genius Scholarship (2014) for academic merit.
- 2019 – 2022
icddr,b, Dhaka
Research Intern, then Senior Research Assistant, then Research Officer on the Urban Health and Demographic Surveillance System: study design, data management, quality control and statistical analysis in STATA and SPSS.
- 2022 – 2023
Master of Public Health, University of Sydney Scholarship
Specialisation in Research Methodology, fully funded by the Bangabandhu Science & Technology Fellowship Trust. Completed through pregnancy and a newborn.
- 2024 – 2028
PhD, University of Newcastle Scholarship
Clinical Epidemiology & Medical Statistics, on an Australian Government RTP Scholarship.
Thesis
Mental Health Trajectories and Predictors of Patterns in Young Australian Women- Map long-term mental health trajectories
- Identify life-course and social predictors
- Link mental health to breastfeeding
Experience
- Nov 2024 – Present
Doctoral Student
University of Newcastle · Hunter Medical Research Institute · Hybrid
- Longitudinal analysis of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH)
- Multivariable and trajectory modelling in R and Stata
- Jan 2023 – Feb 2024
Administrative Assistant & Accounts Payable Officer
James Knox Investment Pty Ltd · Armidale, NSW
- Processed and verified supplier invoices, payments and staff expense claims
- Managed vendor relationships and resolved payment discrepancies
- Kept accurate financial records in MYOB and Xero
- Jun 2022 – Jan 2023
Retail Assistant
Kmart Australia · Part-time
- Customer service and teamwork in a fast-paced retail environment
- Sep 2021 – Mar 2022
Research Officer
icddr,b · Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Planned and managed routine data processing for the Urban Health and Demographic Surveillance System (UHDSS)
- Chose sampling schemes and study designs for surveys and interventions
- Ran data quality control and multivariate statistical analysis; prepared reports and presentations
- Mar 2020 – Sep 2021
Senior Research Assistant
icddr,b · Mohakhali, Dhaka
- Built data collection tools and checked survey data for completeness and accuracy
- Analysed data in STATA 14 and SPSS; produced reports, charts and graphs
- Maintained research databases and conducted interviews
- Aug 2019 – Mar 2020
Research Intern
icddr,b · Mohakhali, Dhaka
- Developed research ideas and wrote research proposals
- Supported study design and networked with scientists in Bangladesh and abroad
Research
My PhD follows young Australian women across nearly three decades of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH). I look at how mental health changes across the transition to motherhood, which patterns appear over time, and what predicts them, so the evidence can shape maternal mental health policy and support.
Part of this work is a systematic review of mental health trajectories in women of reproductive age.
Selected publications
- Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) knowledge of women: a cross-sectional study among women who experienced abortion in urban slums, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Reproductive Health, 2025.
- Caesarean delivery and neonatal mortality: evidence from selected slums in and around Dhaka city, Bangladesh. A prospective cohort study. Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition, 2024.
- Preterm birth and neonatal mortality in selected slums in and around Dhaka City of Bangladesh: a cohort study. PLOS ONE, 2024.
Research projects · icddr,b
- 2022 – 2023
Mapping factors for WASH vulnerability and coping mechanisms owing to coronavirus infection in poor urban neighbourhoods: a research for action
Research Investigator
- 2021 – 2023
Gaps in perception of SRHR, barriers to safe MR and post-abortion care services, and related gender-based violence among poor young women in Dhaka slums
Research Co-investigator · Funded by an RHSTEP grant
- 2019 – 2023
Urban Health and Demographic Surveillance System (UHDSS)
Data management and statistical analysis
Training & conferences
Professional training
- Leadership
- Surveillance data collection
- Survey planning, mapping & implementation
- Verbal autopsy
- Data quality control, assurance & cleaning
Workshops & seminars
- 2020
WHO 2016 Verbal Autopsy Instrument Item Reduction Training Workshop (online)
Verbal autopsy using the WHO 2016 instrument and item reduction techniques
- 2019
International Conference on Application of Sustainable Development Goals
University of Dhaka · SDGs application
- 2018
1st National Statistical Conference
Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University · Application of statistics on the SDGs
- 2017
International Conference on Bioinformatics and Biostatistics for Agriculture, Health and Environment
University of Rajshahi
- 2017
Pre-conference International Workshop on Bioinformatics
University of Rajshahi · Bioinformatics applications
- 2016
National Workshop on Bioinformatics for Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Health and Environment
University of Rajshahi
Work with me
Online · Bengali or EnglishPhD & scholarship guidance
- Choosing universities and supervisors
- Feedback on supervisor emails and CVs
- Research proposal and scholarship application review
- One-to-one strategy calls
- Intro call · 15 min
- Free
- PhD strategy call · 45 min
- $60
- Supervisor email + CV review
- $45
- Proposal or scholarship review
- $120
Starting prices in AUD. Students from Bangladesh: ask about BDT pricing.
I give feedback on your work; your application stays your own. No one can guarantee a scholarship, but I can help you make yours strong.
Book a callData analysis & statistics
- Data cleaning and management
- Regression, longitudinal and trajectory analysis
- Systematic review and meta-analysis support
- Publication-ready tables, figures and write-ups
- Statistical analysis & consulting
- From $40/hr
- Larger projects
- Quote
Prices in AUD. Send a short description of your project for a free quote.
R, STATA, SPSS. Every step explained in plain language, so you can defend it to your supervisor or reviewers.
Ask about your projectMum-to-mum chats
My husband and I are raising our two little ones in Australia. I'd love to share what has worked for us, as one mum to another.
- Starting solids and everyday baby food
- Screen time with babies and toddlers
- Raising kids as a migrant family in Australia
- Juggling study or work with small children
I'm not a doctor, nurse or dietitian. I share our own experience as parents, not medical advice. For health questions, please talk to your GP or child health nurse.
Let's chatUpdates
What I've been doing- Oct 2026
Opened my freelance statistics and PhD guidance services.
- Feb 2026
Started volunteering with Wesley Mission.
- Nov 2025
Started volunteering with the Australian Red Cross.
- May 2025
Published a study on sexual and reproductive health knowledge among women in Dhaka's urban slums in Reproductive Health.
- Oct 2024
Started my PhD at the University of Newcastle on an RTP Scholarship.
- May 2024
Published a cohort study on caesarean delivery and neonatal mortality in the Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition.
- Jan 2024
Published a cohort study on preterm birth and neonatal mortality in PLOS ONE.
- Dec 2023
Completed my Master of Public Health at the University of Sydney.
Volunteering
Driven to do more goodWesley Mission
Volunteer
Australian Red Cross
Sales Associate (volunteer)
Badhon
Active member of a blood donation organisation, for over 11 years