Dr Zaki Rezwana Anwar FRSA

One of the most prominent and inspirational British Bangladeshi figures, Dr Zaki Rezwana Anwar FRSA is a personality known for her multi-faceted attributes such as medical and philanthropic contribution to society - coupled with an illustrious international media career spanning over 4 decades.

Her journey began with classical vocal training from Ustad Akhtar Sadmani leading to championship of the ‘Notun Kuri’ national singing contest on Bangladesh Television. After leading her team in National Debates on the same TV channel as a medical student, she was crowned ‘Best Orator’ for 5 consecutive years. She became the youngest newscaster to pass multi-stage auditions: henceforth would emerge the epitome of an orator and newscaster to watch on Bangladesh Television, Dhaka Radio, BBC World Service, Bangla TV (UK) and Channel S TV (UK). Completion of the long course on newscasting at the National Institute of Mass Communications makes her the only British Bangladeshi with this level of training and expertise. Internationally the longest serving female Bangladeshi newscaster, her unparalleled mark in the newscasting world was recognised with Eastwood Awards’ title: ‘Best Female Newscaster.’ Dr Anwar has since been an active contributor to Voice of America talk shows and conferences of the London Bangla Press Club. She also uses her wealth of public speaking experience to serve as a Youth Mentor with the Diana Award - as well as being a judge on The Catering Circle Show (training restaurateurs in public speaking and advising them on how to make meals healthier).

After her MBBS degree from Dhaka, her Diploma in Tropical Medicine & Hygiene was with British Council Scholarship. Following her Maternal & Child Health MSc at UCL with Danish Government Fellowship, she was selected as Commonwealth Scholar for her PhD. Dr Anwar’s GSK-funded Tangail project with iodine deficient pregnant mothers and infants inspired the ‘Rain Plague’ documentary on BBC 2 in collaboration with ICH (UK) and ICDDRB. Princess Margaret selected this among leading 3 medical research projects that year. Dr Anwar established a Rotaract Club’s Medicine Bank and as Shandhani’s President, initiated blood and organ donation campaigns - having donated all organs herself. She improved maternal mortality rates as founding member of ‘Action for Safe Motherhood’ working with the Brazilian Government, and campaigned against FGM with Gambian NGOs. As Women and Cultural Affairs Secretary of Greater Sylhet Development & Welfare Council in the UK, she ventured far and wide, teaching hard-to-reach women first aid. She was invited as Guest Speaker for INGOs such as UNESCO, F&BF, WHO and Asian Nutrition Congress. She presented at the British Paediatric Association, the University of Warwick, the University of Nottingham, the University of Bristol and Queen Mary (UoL). Journals including British Medical Journal, Lancet, European Journal of Clinical Nutrition and Royal Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene published her work.

Her enterprises though, stem further than media and medicine alone. Dr Anwar is a Trustee of the Ignite Youth Foundation and of the Freedom Fighters’ Welfare Trust, UK; she is also Ambassador for the Manush Manusher Jonno Foundation which works to improve the lives of children with disabilities living in absolute poverty. iQra International has recognised her work with disabled children. Dr Anwar is a Support Member of CRUK’s East London Group; she raises awareness about the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed and of anti-rape movements. With her Jalalabad based ‘Widow Project’ initiative, 500 destitute widows saw avenues to financial independence. Dr Anwar further raised funds for shelters of the flood-stricken, and at a school her mother founded, aided orphans with the ‘Zaki Rezwana Scholarship’. From embryonic stages, she was the trailblazer for Dual Citizenship Act amendments, negotiating with the Law Minister of Bangladesh to protect rights of over 500,000 British Bangladeshis. For services to British Bangladeshis / her education initiatives, she was then honoured with the Mayor’s Civic Award, the British Bangladeshi Who's Who Award, Canary Wharf Group’s Community Champion Award for Philanthropy, The London Bangla Press Club Award, The Bengal's Pride Award at the House of Commons and The London Faith & Belief Community Award (supported by Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London’s Council on Faith).

Cultivating her unique blend of medical and international media expertise, (through a series of televised interactive video presentations and her deeply analytical newspaper columns), Dr Anwar tirelessly continues to provide medical advice to the British Bangladeshi diaspora - educating them on the importance of adhering to essential public health measures. With generous backing from international organisations and Islamic scholars, she fought fiercely against infodemics by actively working to dispel Covid-19 myths pertaining to the nexus of medical science and religion. She changed the landscape by serving as the face instigating a grassroots movement convincing thousands of initially reluctant viewers (in both Bangla and English) to take vaccines - consequently saving a staggering number of lives during the pandemic. She advises charities as well as television channels on the importance of broadcasting scientifically accurate information in a simplistic manner so that the message clearly invites action from one to all.