Farhana Haseen

"The knowledge I gained from the course will be used to design and implement site-specific cancer control research, as well as research in the behavioural sciences."

Farhana Haseen
Ph.D. Student
Centre for Clinical and Population Sciences
Queen's University Belfast, Belfast (QUB)

In 2008, Ms. Haseen attended NCI's Principles and Practice of Cancer Prevention and Control Course, where she studied the global trends, concepts, methods, issues, and applications of cancer prevention-related fields. The course greatly enhanced Ms. Haseen's understanding of the issues related to intervention trials, such as screening in randomized trials, outcome measurement instruments, and the use of biomarkers.

Ms. Haseen is currently studying for a Ph.D. with the Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention Research Group at the Centre for Clinical and Population Sciences, QUB. She has a Masters in Nutrition from the University of Dhaka in Bangladesh and a Masters of Medical Science in International Health from Uppsala University in Sweden. Dr. Haseen worked as a project coordinator on the "National Low Birth Weight Survey 2003-2004" and the "Anaemia Prevalence Survey of Urban Bangladesh and Rural Chittagong Hill Tracts - 2003". These two projects were implemented in collaboration with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

Ms. Haseen is currently studying nutritional research in the area of prostate cancer survivorship for her Ph.D. project. Her areas of interest include dietary and physical exercise intervention and the impact of treatment on body composition, fatigue, and quality of life. This research holds the potential to impact cancer survivorship in a positive way, as it will test the feasibility and efficacy of dietary and physical activity intervention and provide information to develop guidelines for prostate cancer survivors in Northern Ireland.

When she returns to the Centre for Clinical and Population Sciences at QUB, Ms. Haseen will incorporate the information gained at the Principles and Practice course in her Ph.D. project, using the practical application of research questionnaires and the identification of health education strategies to bring about social and behavioral changes, as she works on producing research intervention materials. In the future, she would like to translate new interventions into practice to improve the health outcome of cancer survivors. Her work in this regard may provide the scientific basis for preventing and managing cancer by addressing nutrition and lifestyle factors.

Papers published by Ms. Haseen include:

• Haseen F et al. Improved adherence and anaemia cure rates with flexible administration of micronutrient Sprinkles: a new public health approach to anaemia control. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2007; 26 September:1-8
• Haseen F et al. A multiple-micronutrient-fortified beverage affects hemoglobin, iron, and vitamin a status and growth in adolescent girls in rural Bangladesh. The Journal of Nutrition 2007; 137: 2147-2153.
• Haseen F et al. Effect of daily versus once-weekly home fortification with micronutrient Sprinkles on hemoglobin and iron status among young children in rural Bangladesh. Food and Nutrition Bulletin 2007; Vol. 28, No.2: 156-164
• Haseen F et al. Change in food and calorie consumption among the Ultra Poor: Is the poverty reduction programme making a difference? Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2007; 16 (Suppl 1): 58-64
• Haseen F et al. Home fortification with Sprinkles to address childhood anaemia in Bangladesh. Nutrition Bulletin. (Published by NPCS, Nepal), July 2006 Year 10, Issue 10: 4-5.