MD · PhD · Associate Professor

Dr. Maisam
Najafizada

Health Policy and Systems Research

Building equitable, community-engaged, and evidence-driven health systems — spanning primary care transformation, refugee health, global health policy, and cannabis policy reform in Canada and beyond.

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Health Systems Primary Care Global Health Cannabis Policy Health Equity
$4.95M+ Research funding secured
36 Peer-reviewed publications
52+ Graduate trainees mentored
23 Research grants awarded
Profile

About Dr. Najafizada

Afghan-Canadian physician-researcher whose work connects community-level realities with system-level policy change.

Biography

Dr. Maisam Najafizada is a physician-researcher and Associate Professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland's Faculty of Medicine. His work centres on primary health care, health systems strengthening, social accountability, and equity-oriented policy in Canada and globally.

He has served as Interim Assistant Dean for Social Accountability, Faculty Lead for Global Health and Health Equity, and MPH Program Coordinator — leading strategy, curriculum, and community partnerships that integrate equity into academic medicine. His doctoral research on Afghanistan's Community Health Worker program contributed directly to WHO global guidelines.

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Core Information

  • Role: Associate Professor
  • Institution: Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University
  • Email: mnajafizada@mun.ca
  • Phone: +1 709 864 3376
  • Location: St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

Education

  • 2016 PhD Population Health, University of Ottawa
  • 2011 MA Health Communication, University of Ottawa
  • 2008 MD, Ibn Sina Medical Faculty, Balkh University

Total Funding

$4.95M+

Across 24 grants

Publications

36

Peer-reviewed articles

Trainees

52+

Graduate students mentored

Years Active

10+

At Memorial University

Program of Work

Research Focus

Applying health systems and policy methods to improve access, quality, and equity in care across Canadian and global contexts.

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Primary Care Transformation

Evaluation of team-based primary care and Family Care Team implementation in Newfoundland and Labrador — focusing on interprofessional collaboration and rural access.

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Health Equity & Refugee Health

System-level analysis of barriers to care and adaptive models for culturally safe service delivery for newcomers and equity-deserving populations.

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Global Health Systems

Community health worker programs, SDG implementation, and equity-oriented health policy in Afghanistan, South Asia, and Central Asia.

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Public Health Policy

Cannabis policy, health literacy, and population-level decision environments for safer and more equitable health outcomes across Canada.

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Scholarship

Selected Publications

A sample of recent peer-reviewed work across research themes.

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Research Impact

Funding Portfolio

A record of sustained external funding in population health research across CIHR, SSHRC, Health Canada, and provincial funders.

NPA / PA / Co-PA

$2.69M

Program leadership grants

As Co-Applicant

$2.00M

Multi-investigator collaborations

As Collaborator

$259K

Broader network contributions

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Public Scholarship

Media & Public Engagement

Research findings translated into expert commentary and institutional coverage across Canadian and international outlets.

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Interested in Collaborating?

Open to research partnerships, graduate supervision, and knowledge-translation opportunities in health systems and policy.

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