Sophiya Dulal
Adelaide,SA
Summary
I am an experienced public health professional with a background in global health, nursing and development studies. I graduated with a Master of Science (MSc) in Global Health and Development from University College London, UK, in 2014 and a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Nursing from Kathmandu University, Nepal, in 2011. I completed a Doctoral Dissertation (PhD) at the School of Health Sciences, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia, in April 2024. My doctoral research assessed the approaches to improve early childhood development in rural Nepal. Skilled Researcher enthusiastic about supporting advancements in [Area of expertise]. Passionate about increasing knowledge to drive growth and needed improvements. Ready to apply knowledge and [Number] years of experience in research. Committed [Job Title] with [Number] years of experience using cutting edge technology to generate and share important information with academic community. Networked with elite research teams from [Type] institutions to develop and improve research protocols for field. Conducted complicated research with integrity and great attention to detail.
Overview
13
13
years of professional experience
Work History
Research Consultant
United Nations Children’s Fund Regional Office for South Asia
08.2023 - 03.2024
- UNICEF ROSA organised a Regional Conference on Nourishing South Asia 2023 from 18 to 21 September 2023 in Hyatt Regency, Kathmandu, Nepal
- As a research consultant, I assisted in preparing factsheets about the nutritional status of adolescent girls in eight South Asian countries, edited the Nourishing South Asia series reports (five), prepared the conference report and manuscript for publication and wrote 15 case studies on adolescent girls and maternal nutrition programmes in South Asia.
Research Assistant
Western Sydney University
02.2018 - 05.2018
- I worked with Dr Jann Foster from the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Western Sydney University
- My roles included data extraction and critical appraisal of primary qualitative studies included in a systematic review of neonatal palliative care using the Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal checklist for qualitative research.
Project Manager
Media for Development Pvt Ltd
09.2016 - 01.2017
- I worked with Professor Delan Devakumar and Dr Joanna Morrison from the Institute for Global Health (IGH) at UCL, London, in a Wellcome Trust-funded public engagement project titled 'Bangles and Bindhi’s: Engaging communities about child marriage in Southern Nepal'
- My key responsibilities included: Communicate and liaise with government stakeholders to run the field activities
- Manage and lead a team of ten people effectively and efficiently
- Budget planning and managing accordingly
- Accountability: Set clear expectations and goals for project teams
- Track progress against a timeline, milestones and budget, and revise as needed
- Preparing topic guides for in-depth interviews and training materials, Training interviewers, data collection supervision and preparing reports on child marriage experiences in Lumbini district, Nepal.
Qualitative Researcher
Health Research and Development Forum, Non-governmental Organization
09.2016 - 12.2016
- I have worked on various qualitative research focused on health-related topics
- My key responsibilities included designing a study protocol, topic guides for semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions, training on qualitative research methodology, and analysing and preparing final reports.
The Wellcome Trust Research Fellow
Nepal
01.2015 - 06.2016
- In 2015, I conducted a prospective cohort study to follow up children born during the randomised controlled trial of antenatal micronutrient supplementation conducted in Janakpur, Dhanusha district, between 2002 and 2004 to determine whether children prenatally exposed to multiple micronutrient supplementation have higher intelligence quotients at 12 years of age compared to those prenatally exposed to iron and folic acid only
- This study was part of the Wellcome Trust’s prestigious award, 'Master’s Training Fellowship in Public Health and Tropical Medicine'
- I worked under the supervision of Professor Audrey Prost at the IGH, UCL
- My key responsibilities were: Management and planning of the study: designing the data collection tool, recruiting and training staff, preparing logistics, monitoring and supervising the data collection
- Conduct a cognitive assessment of young children using the Universal Non-verbal Intelligence Test
- Data analysis, writing and dissemination of study findings.
Research Officer
Mother and Infant Research Activities (MIRA), Non-governmental Organization
08.2013 - 09.2013
- In 2013, we conducted a study to validate the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID) III in Makwanpur District, Nepal, under the supervision of Professor Audrey Prost, UCL, IGH
- This study sought to assess the feasibility and reliability of BSID III’s cognitive and motor sub-scales among children in rural Nepal
- We evaluated a total of 102 children aged 1–42 months
- My key responsibilities included: Manage and supervise the study in the field
- Conduct cognitive tests using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition (Bayley-III) on children of age group 16 days newborn to 49 months old
- Dissemination of study findings.
Process Evaluation Officer
MIRA
01.2012 - 07.2013
- I was a Process Evaluation Officer on a large cluster-Randomised Control Trial in Dhanusha district
- The trial aimed to evaluate the effects on newborn health of two community-based interventions with Female Community Health Volunteers: a participatory intervention with women’s groups and an intervention to identify and treat neonatal sepsis
- Further, in 2013, I was also given responsibilities in another MIRA project, 'Low Birth Weight South Asia Trial', funded by the Department for International Development (DFID) and jointly carried out by MIRA and UCL, Institute for Global Health in collaboration with the World Food Program and Save the Children Fund
- My key responsibilities were: Designing process evaluation to explore the impact and assess the feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness of cash transfer, food transfer and community mobilisation interventions
- Designing and implementing formative research, particularly on Infant and young child feeding and early childhood development, to inform the development of interventions and identify gaps in evidence
- Training and supervising field coordinators for quantitative and qualitative data collection
- Provide technical assistance in developing manuals and picture cards for women’s group meetings.
Research Officer
MIRA
07.2011 - 05.2012
- I was involved in a study to assess the health and nutritional status of children aged 0–59 months in rural food-insecure areas of Jumla district in Western Nepal
- I was trained in techniques to measure the physical development of children below 59 months, which included measuring children’s length (age below 24 months) or height using a Shorr board, accurate to 1 mm and measuring weight using a Tanita HS302 Solar scale, accurate to 100g
- After nine months, I followed up with the children again
- In this follow-up study in 2012, my role was to recruit field workers, train them, and coordinate, supervise and facilitate the data collection process in the field.
Education
Doctor of Philosophy- Health Science -
School of Health Sciences, Western Sydney University
Sydney, Australia04.2024
Master of Science in Global Health and Development -
Institute for Global Health, University College London
London, UK11.2014
Bachelor of Science in Nursing -
Kathmandu Medical College, Kathmandu University
Kathmandu, Nepal03.2011
Skills
- Literature reviews
- Qualitative Research
- Research design
- Quantitative Research
- Scientific Writing
- Computational skills
- Research Methodologies
- Advanced Data Analysis
- Project Management
Accomplishments
- Documented and resolved [Issue] which led to [Results].
- Achieved [Result] by completing [Task] with accuracy and efficiency.
- Supervised team of 15-30 staff members.
- Collaborated with team of [Number] in the development of [Project name].
- Achieved [Result] through effectively helping with [Task].
- Used Microsoft Excel to develop inventory tracking spreadsheets.
Professional Development
- 2023, Nourishing South Asia – Scaling-up equitable nutritional care for girls and women in South Asia, Kathmandu, Nepal
- 2021, Online training on NVIVO Core skills and Focused Learning – coding from QSR International
- 2020, 16th World Congress on Public Health
- 2018, Introduction of Qualitative Research course, Sydney, Australia
- 2018, Fundamentals of Multiple Regression course, Brisbane, Australia
- 2018, Health Beyond Research & Innovation Showcase 2018, Sydney, Australia
- 2018, Sample size calculation using G power and Meta-analysis workshop
- 2017, Comprehensive training on Systematic Review by Joanna Briggs Institute, Adelaide, Australia
- 2016, 4th Annual Scientific Symposium: Minding the Gaps Along the Agriculture-to-Nutrition Pathway, Nepal
- 2016, Symposium on Our future: A Lancet Commission on adolescent health and wellbeing, London, UK
- 2016, Second National Summit of Health and Population Scientist in Nepal, Kathmandu, Nepal
- 2016, Tenth Conference of the Perinatal Society of Nepal, Kathmandu, Nepal
- 2016, One-on-one training on administering the Universal Nonverbal Intelligence test, London, UK
- 2013, Research Methodology workshop series, Nepal
- 2012, Bayley Scales of Infant Development version III training course, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Orcid Id
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2244-613X
Awards Grants
- 2019, Western to the World Scholarship, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia
- 2017, The School of Science and Health Postgraduate Research Scholarship, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia
- 2013, Master’s Training Fellowship in Public Health and Tropical Medicine, The Wellcome Trust, London, UK, 09/16/2013, 03/15/2016, 101060/B/13/Z, https://app.dimensions.ai/details/grant/grant.3641857
- 2014, Master’s Training Fellowship in Public Health and Tropical Medicine, The Wellcome Trust, London, UK, 07/01/2014, 12/31/2016, 101060/Z/13/Z, https://app.dimensions.ai/details/grant/grant.4579318
Research Publications
- Can’t live willingly: A thematic synthesis of qualitative evidence exploring how early marriage and early pregnancy affect experiences of pregnancy in South Asia, Miller FA, Dulal S, Rai A, Gram L, Harris-Fry H, Saville NM, PLOS Global Public Health, 2023, 3, 10, e0002279, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0002279
- Little children learn on their own by observing and imitating. Caregivers’ perspectives on cognitive and socio-emotional caregiving practices for children 0-3 years in lowland Nepal, Dulal S, Prost A, Merom D, Shrestha B, Manandhar DS, Saville NM, PREPRINT, 10/06/2023, 1, https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-2656029/v1
- Exploring the feasibility of integrating health, nutrition and stimulation interventions for children under three years in Nepal’s health system: A qualitative study, Dulal S, Saville NM, Merom D, Giri K, Prost A, PLOS Global Public Health, 2023, 3, 4, e0001398, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0001398
- Feeding, caregiving practices, and developmental delay among children under five in lowland Nepal: a community-based cross-sectional survey, Dulal S, Prost A, Karki S, Merom D, Shrestha BP, Bhandari B, BMC Public Health, 2022, 22, 1, 1721, https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-13776-8
- Characteristics and effects of integrated nutrition and stimulation interventions to improve the nutritional status and development of children under 5 years of age: a systematic review and meta-analysis, Dulal S, Prost A, Karki S, Saville N, Merom D, BMJ Global Health, 2021, 6, e003872, https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2020-003872
- Early-life factors and pre-primary experience predict overage attendance in secondary school: evidence from lowland Nepal, Marphatia A, Wells J, Reid A, Cortina Borja, Manandhar DS, Shrestha B, Sen A, Saville N, Devakumar D, Osrin D, Prost A, Dulal S, International Journal of Educational Research, 2020, 99, 101491, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7104891/
- Does Antenatal micronutrient supplementation improve children’s cognitive function? Evidence from the follow-up of a double blind randomised controlled trial in Nepal, Dulal S, Liégeois F, Osrin D, Kuczynski A, Manandhar DS, Shrestha B, Sen A, Saville A, Devakumar D, Prost A, BMJ Global Health, 2018, 3, e000527, https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2017-000527
- Formative qualitative research to develop community-based interventions addressing low birth weight in the plains of Nepal, Morrison J, Dulal S, Harris-Fry H, Basnet M, Sharma N, Shrestha B, Manandhar D, Costello, Osrin D, Saville N, Public Health Nutrition, 2018, 21, 2, 377–384, https://doi.org/10.1017/s1368980017002646
- Dietary diversity is positively associated with deviation from the expected height in rural Nepal, Burset LK, Neuman M, Rehfuess EA, Dulal S, Harthan J, Chaube SS, Bhandari B, Costello H, Costello A, Manandhar DS, Saville NM, The Journal of Nutrition, 2016, 146, 7, 1387–1393, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022316623006533?via%3Dihub
- Acceptability and Reliability of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development III Cognitive and Motor Scales among Children in Makwanpur, Manandhar SR, Dulal S, Manandhar DS, Saville N, Prost A, Journal of Nepal Health Research Council, 2016, 14, 32, 47–50
Others
MS Office Package, STATA, Endnote, NVIVO, English, Nepali, Hindi, Nepalese, Child Health Task Force, International Epidemiological Association, Micronutrient Forum, Agriculture, Nutrition and Health Academy, Asia-Pacific Regional Network for Early Childhood (ARNEC), The Early Childhood Development Action Network (ECDAN)
References
- Professor Dafna Merom, Professor of Public Health, School of Health Sciences, Western Sydney University, Translational Health Research Institute (THRI), Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia, d.merom@westernsydney.edu.au, +61 2 46203796
- Dr Naomi Saville, Senior Research Associate, Institute for Global Health, UCL, 30 Guildford Street, London, WC1N 1EH, UK, n.saville@ucl.ac.uk, +977 9851071232
- Professor Audrey Prost, Professor of Global Health, Institute for Global Health, UCL, 30 Guildford Street, London, WC1N 1EH, UK, audrey.prost@ucl.ac.uk, +44 7841866058
Languages
English
Full Professional
Nepali
Native or Bilingual
Hindi
Limited Working
Timeline
Research Consultant
United Nations Children’s Fund Regional Office for South Asia
08.2023 - 03.2024
Research Assistant
Western Sydney University
02.2018 - 05.2018
Project Manager
Media for Development Pvt Ltd
09.2016 - 01.2017
Qualitative Researcher
Health Research and Development Forum, Non-governmental Organization
09.2016 - 12.2016
The Wellcome Trust Research Fellow
Nepal
01.2015 - 06.2016
Research Officer
Mother and Infant Research Activities (MIRA), Non-governmental Organization
08.2013 - 09.2013
Process Evaluation Officer
MIRA
01.2012 - 07.2013
Research Officer
MIRA
07.2011 - 05.2012
Doctor of Philosophy- Health Science -
School of Health Sciences, Western Sydney University
Master of Science in Global Health and Development -
Institute for Global Health, University College London
Bachelor of Science in Nursing -
Kathmandu Medical College, Kathmandu University