A Life at the Intersection of Medicine, Technology, and Public Service

Dr. Tasnim Jara is a physician, health tech entrepreneur, and public representative whose work spans three continents and multiple disciplines. From treating patients at Cambridge University Hospitals to representing Bangladesh at the United Nations General Assembly, her career reflects a commitment to evidence-based solutions and public accountability.

Medical Career

Dr. Jara graduated from Dhaka Medical College with an MBBS degree before moving to the United Kingdom, where she completed her MSc in Evidence-Based Health Care at the University of Oxford (Kellogg College), graduating with Distinction. She holds the MRCP (Member of the Royal Colleges of Physicians, UK) and DRCOG (Diploma of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, UK).

She has worked as an Emergency Medicine Doctor in the NHS and currently serves as a Specialty Doctor in Internal Medicine at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. She has also served as a Clinical Supervisor for undergraduate medical students at the University of Cambridge and as a Medical Education Fellow at Royal Papworth Hospital.

Shohay Health

In 2020, Dr. Jara co-founded Shohay Health, a digital health platform that provides evidence-based health information in Bengali. Born out of the COVID-19 pandemic, the platform has grown to reach over 12 million followers across social media, with health videos accumulating over one billion minutes of watch time and 280 million content views.

In 2023, Shohay launched its pregnancy app — a week-by-week guide designed for Bangladeshi mothers — which reached number one in the Google Play Store’s parenting category in Bangladesh. The platform has partnered with the Bangladesh Government, BRAC, Grameenphone, and CARE Bangladesh.

Public Service

Dr. Jara’s engagement with public life began early — in 2014, she was elected Chairperson of the United Nations Youth Advisory Panel in Bangladesh. Following the July 2024 uprising in Bangladesh, she became involved in national politics through the Jatiya Nagorik Committee (JNC), a citizens’ coalition.

In September 2025, she was part of the Bangladesh delegation to the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York — the only woman in the delegation led by Chief Adviser Prof. Muhammad Yunus.

In the 2026 parliamentary elections, she contested as an independent candidate from the Dhaka-9 constituency.

Recognition

Dr. Jara’s health communication work has been recognised by the UK Government as a “Vaccine Luminary” contribution, and she was featured in The Luminaries photo mosaic unveiled at the G7 Global Vaccine Confidence Summit in 2021. She has been profiled by the Financial Times, France 24, ITV, and named a “Changemaker” by The Business Standard.

Academic Work

Dr. Jara has published in peer-reviewed journals including JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions and Frontiers in Global Women’s Health. Her research interests include evidence-based medicine, internal medicine, community health interventions, and women’s health.