Adiba Hassan

Born in Bangladesh and raised in Southeast Asia, Adiba witnessed firsthand the effects of poverty and sociocultural segregation on a global scale. It motivated her towards a career in public health as she believes interventions in public health can bridge the gap in basic human rights.

With a goal to improve health and security, she has dedicated her career in public health, working with vulnerable populations from the prisons of Malaysia to maternal health programs in the slums of Bangladesh to HIV prevention programs in sub-Saharan Africa. In collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, she has managed HIV treatment centers in Nigeria, Mozambique and Cameroon with the support of the President’s Emergency Program for AIDS Relief to increase providers, treatment opportunities and improve retention in care across health centers. In the U.S., her research focuses on populations affected by HIV/AIDS, publishing scientific manuscripts to guide public health interventions in slowing down and ultimately ending the HIV epidemic.

Adiba met her husband, José, during his service in Cameroon with the U.S. Marine Corps following his deployment to Afghanistan. They share a global vision to serve communities in need, especially in the US and their home countries of Bangladesh and El Salvador. Adiba and José will pursue their educational goals together at the University of California Los Angeles; her as a doctoral candidate in Infectious Disease Epidemiology, and him as an enlisted Marine in pursuit of becoming a commissioned officer in the United States Marine Corps.