Tahmeed’s fight against malnutrition

It has been only a few days that Tahmeed Ahmed has returned from New York. He had gone there to join the ‘TIME100 Impact Dinner: Leaders Shaping the Future of Health’ event at the invitation of the TIME Magazine. According to the magazine’s longstanding tradition, he also delivered an inspirational speech there.

Talking to him at the icddr,b (International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh) on 24 May, we started with the mention of his recognition from TIME. From there the conversation took turns to various other aspects of life.

Tahmeed Ahmed completed his MBBS from Mymensingh Medical College in 1983. He then joined government service and worked for a few months at the Ishwarganj Upazila Health Complex. He said, “I joined icddr,b as a medical officer back in 1983. On my elder brother’s advice, I saw the job at icddr,b as a way to live in Dhaka. My first month’s salary was around Tk 2,500.”

At that time, the presence of foreign scientists and researchers at icddr,b was striking. Most senior positions were held by foreigners. Renowned paediatrician Roger Eeckels was the executive director back then. Tahmeed Ahmed said, “Never did I imagine I would become the executive director of icddr,b one day. I had no such goal or ambition either.”

When asked did he ever intend to become a nutritionist or expert in nutrition, he replied, “No.”

While working at the icddr,b hospital, Tahmeed had the chance to observe malnutrition in persons. In his words, “Every day, I saw children suffering from severe malnutrition. Many of them died. It was a medical emergency, but we couldn’t save all of them. At that time, night blindness or nyctalopia was at an acute level due to malnutrition. That first-hand experience had a significant role in inspiring me to work in the field of nutrition.”

After joining icddr,b, he had the chance to work with many nutrition experts from Europe and America, as well as from various international organisations from around the world. However, he was particularly inspired by the work of a few individuals from Bangladesh. World Bank official Iqbal Kabir and icddr,b scientist SK Roy are notable of them.

Over time, Tahmeed held various positions at icddr,b. In December 2015, he became senior director of the nutrition and clinical services division. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, he was appointed acting executive director of icddr,b. Early next year, he was officially appointed executive director. Tahmeed Ahmed is the first Bangladeshi executive director in the 60-year history of icddr,b.

Malnutrition is one of those areas in the health and medical sector that often remains neglected, receiving little attention from policymakers, rarely mentioned by politicians, and seldom covered in the media. Yet, Tahmeed Ahmed has chosen that very subject as the core focus of his research.

He is the lead or co-author of 514 research papers till date. These papers have been published in leading international journals in the fields of health, public health, medicine, and science. Currently he is involved in nearly a dozen international research projects related to malnutrition.

The icddr,b now has a workforce of over 5,000 people. Doing research as well as writing and editing scientific papers while leading such a large institution is no easy task. Yet Tahmeed Ahmed continues to do exactly that by putting in efforts day and night.

During his speech at TIME’s ‘Impact Dinner’ held in New York on 13 May, Tahmeed Ahmed shared insights from his 40 years of experience at icddr,b including his work on the subject of malnutrition. Speaking about a research project he has been conducting for over a decade with Jeffrey Gordon of Washington University in Saint Louis, he said, “Many of you might think that malnutrition is caused only from the lack of food. Yes, food scarcity is certainly a major cause, but it is not the only one.”

“Over the past few decades, our research has shown that poor hygiene allows bacteria and germs to enter the body, where they colonise the small intestines of children and cause damage. As a result of this intestinal damage, the food a child eats does not provide proper nutrition and the child becomes malnourished,” he continued.

Nutrition is also linked to the choice of food one makes. Even when eating the same foods, some children thrive while others suffer from malnutrition. Tahmeed Ahmed and his team of local and international researchers have found that not all children’s guts are equally ready to absorb micronutrients from food.

The gut contains billions of microorganisms, and foods such as tilapia fish, chickpeas, green bananas, and peanuts help promote the growth of beneficial microbes. Using these ingredients, the researchers have developed food products through local companies.

As part of an international research project, these foods are being given to mothers and children in five countries. The countries are Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Tanzania, and Mali. Nutritionists across the world are eagerly waiting to learn about the results of this particular study.

About three months ago, Tahmeed Ahmed attended a nutrition-focused event hosted by Prothom Alo. Before the programme began, this reporter had asked him, “Tahmeed Bhai, what should we eat to keep our gut healthy?” The nutrition expert had replied, “Green bananas and chickpeas.”

Tahmeed Ahmed’s ancestral home is in Mymensingh, but he grew up in Old Dhaka. Because of his father’s job posting, he also spent some time in Pakistan when he was young.

In 1974, Tahmeed Ahmed passed Secondary School Certificate (SSC) exams from St Gregory’s High School in Dhaka’s Lakshmibazar. He still holds dear a piece of advice from the headmaster of his school, Brother Robert. Even today, it remains vivid in his memory. “Brother Robert used to say, the world is getting more and more complicated. Do something that ensures you won’t be unemployed,” Tahmeed said.

After finishing SSC, Tahmeed enrolled at Notre Dame College. Upon finishing college, he was admitted to Mymensingh Medical College in 1976. During his time in the medical college, he became involved in student politics. “I used to take part in discussions and debates about Marx and Engels on the hostel rooftop, often until one or two in the morning. We tried to understand contemporary politics,” he recalls.

While studying medicine, he was actively involved with the organisation Sandhani. He would regularly visit Bhairab and Jamalpur districts to participate in blood and eye donation campaigns. He said, “I have many funny stories about traveling with and without tickets on train. I still remember how the train conductors used to treat us to peanuts.”

When Tahmeed Ahmed was in the final year of medical college, Sayera Banu had just started her first year. Though both studied at Mymensingh Medical College, they never crossed paths there. Their first meeting happened later, at icddr,b, where both were working in junior positions.

They got to know each other, and then tied the knot in 1992. Sayera Banu is now a senior scientist at icddr,b and head of the organisation’s emerging infections division.

Despite his demanding responsibilities at the office and in the field of research, Tahmeed Ahmed still finds time for his personal life. He doesn’t miss any get-together with his friends. “Just last week, I met some of my school and college friends for a catch-up,” he said.

When asked, “Do you have time for anything else?” “Of course,” he added in reply. “At night, I watch TV talk shows with my wife. We try to understand which direction the country is headed and talk about politics.”

And he enjoys teaching. Tahmeed is a professor of public health nutrition at the James P Grant School of Public Health in BRAC University. In his words, “Students come to study here from different countries. I really enjoy teaching them, talking to them, and spending time with them. I find joy in it.”