Professor Ghaffar is a health policy entrepreneur and a respected leader in global health. His services to the Health Policy and Systems Research Community were recognized with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2024. For more than 35 years, he has conducted, commissioned, and promoted the use of policy-relevant knowledge for improved policy, especially in resource-poor settings. Appreciating his public services, in 2016, the Government of Pakistan awarded him a civil award, titled “Pride of Performance”. His ability, attitude, and knack in nurturing and mentoring young leaders earned him an election to the Alpha Chapter of the Delta Omega Honorary Society in 2002, and in 2013, he received the “Knowledge for the World” Award from Johns Hopkins University.

He has authored more than 170 peer-reviewed papers, including the influential WHO’s Strategy on Health Policy and Systems Research. He is a Professor at Aga Khan University, Karachi; Health Services Academy, Islamabad; University of Birmingham, and an Associate Faculty at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore.

Professor Ghaffar brings to LEAL not only unparalleled expertise but a lifelong commitment to dismantling the barriers that prevent Southern voices from shaping the global health agenda.