Dr Bibi Hajira
Biography
Qualification | PhD, Human Nutrition — The University of Agriculture, Peshawar, Pakistan MSc (Hons), Human Nutrition — The University of Agriculture, Peshawar, Pakistan BSc (Hons), Human Nutrition — The University of Agriculture, Peshawar, Pakistan |
Certifications | Certificate in Health Professional Education (CHPE); Certificate in Clinical Trial Management (CCTM) |
Areas of Interest | Dietary interventions in clinical trials using functional foods and various diet-based approaches; satiety and energy intake regulation, obesity and metabolic health; development and validation of dietary assessment tools; clinical nutrition in disease management; nutrigenomics and personalized nutrition; adolescent, maternal and child nutrition; nutrition curriculum development and nutrition education |
Dr. Bibi Hajira is an Assistant Professor of Human Nutrition at the Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Khyber Medical University, Peshawar. She holds a PhD in Human Nutrition from The University of Agriculture, Peshawar, and has over a decade of combined clinical and academic experience, including as a Clinical Nutritionist at the Institute of Kidney Diseases, Peshawar. Her research spans dietary assessment tool development, clinical nutrition in health and disease, dietary intervention in clinical trials, adolescent and maternal-child nutrition, and the nutrigenetics/genomics of obesity, with 18+ peer-reviewed publications in national and international journals. She is Co-PI on the Development of Dietary Assessment Tool for Pakistan (DIET-PAK) project and leads curriculum harmonization efforts integrating nutrition education across medical, dental, nursing and allied health sciences programs in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. She was recently an invited speaker at the SAARC Regional Conference on Reducing Anemia in Adolescent Girls and Women of South Asia, Colombo, Sri Lanka (2025).
Research Interests
RESEARCH PROJECTS
(LAST FIVE YEARS) Development of Dietary Assessment Tool for Pakistan (DIET-PAK) (Co-PI, 2022 – Present, Pakistan) Developed a food picture book for dietary intake assessment (publication ready); conducted a quantitative study among participants to develop a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) (publication ready); FFQ validation currently in progress. Partnership with Academia in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Update Nutrition Curricula (Lead facilitator, 2021 – Present, Pakistan) Harmonized postgraduate nutrition curricula, now updated and adopted across universities in KP; mainstreamed nutrition content into medical, dental, nursing and allied health sciences curricula (adopted); currently updating and harmonizing the undergraduate BS Human Nutrition curriculum. GRANTS & AWARDS • International Travel Grant, Office of Research, Innovation & Commercialization (ORIC), Khyber Medical University, 2025 — awarded to present at the SAARC Regional Conference on “Nourishing South Asia: Reducing Anemia in Adolescent Girls and Women of South Asia,” Colombo, Sri Lanka. CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS • Invited Speaker, SAARC Regional Conference on “Nourishing South Asia | Reducing Anemia in Adolescent Girls and Women of South Asia,” jointly organized by SAARC and UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia with technical collaboration from WHO, Colombo, Sri Lanka, July 9–11, 2025. Presented case study: “Nutrition Education Using Trans Theoretical Model (TTM) for Anemia Reduction in School-Going Adolescent Girls.
PUBLICATIONS (20)
Full publication list on Google Scholar and ORCID.
1. Saidal A, Ghani M, Melhem A, Khattak MI, Ullah Q, Hajira B, Shaheen S, Tariq K, Al Nabhani Z, Andrews SC, Alfheeaid HA,
Muhammad S. Predictors of impaired growth during the first year of life: findings from a longitudinal cohort study in
Pakistan. Frontiers in Nutrition. (Accepted, in press).
2. Wu T, Luo J, Zhang Y, Sui R, Hajira B. Inter-generational transfer of fluoride practices: digitization and visual culture in
health education. Fluoride. Epub 2026 Jul 26:e459.
3. Hajira B, Akhtar SZ, Adeeb H, Haq I, Afridi MS. Dietary intake and factors associated with malnutrition among chronic
kidney disease patients: insights from a hospital-based cross-sectional study. Int J Pathol. 2026;24(1):41-53.
4. Riaz A, Hajira B, Malik MO, Iqbal K, Nawaz N. Effect of chewing time of high-protein meal on subjective satiety and
serum ghrelin response in healthy individuals. Pak-Euro J Med Life Sci. 2026;9(1):55-64.
5. Maqbool DE, Hajira B, Malik MO, Alam I. Effect of high protein meal consumed at different frequency on serum IGF-1
levels in physically active individuals. Pak-Euro J Med Life Sci. 2025;8(4):991-998.
6. Hajira B, Sehar B, Fakhrunisa, Siraj S, Malik MO, Naqeeb H, et al. Impact of high-protein, low-calorie diet on anthropometric indices, glycation, and inflammation associated with the fat mass and obesity (FTO) gene among individuals with obesity. Front Nutr. 2025;12:1619543.
7. Khan I, Mir BM, Hajira B, Ahmad J, Johnson SK, Almajwal AM. Effect of bread incorporated with flaxseed powder on postprandial glycemia and palatability in healthy individuals. Rev Nutr. 2025;38:e240062.
8. Naqeeb H, Sehar B, Siraj S, Almajwal AM, Hajira B, Faris MAI, et al. Association of anthropometric indices with rs9939609 FTO gene polymorphism among overweight/obese women with breast cancer: a case-control study. Front Nutr. 2025;12:1548340.
9. Naqeeb H, Zia-Ud-Din, Khan I, Haq I, Zeb F, Hajira B, et al. Association between sleeping quality and risk of breast cancer among women: a case-control study from Pakistan. Cancer Control. 2024;31:10732748241293640.
10. Hamid N, Malik MO, Hajira B, Shah I, Azhar M. Food temperature altered macronutrients induced changes in satiety hormones: glucagon-like peptide-1 and cholecystokinin and their correlation with subjective satiety. J Fam Community Med. 2024;31(3):237-243.
11. Khan SA, Fatima S, Malik O, Hajira B, Nazli R, Sher N, et al. Effect of meal frequency on insulin response and total insulin secretion in physically active people. Kurd Stud. 2024;12(4):692-698.
12. Hamid N, Malik MO, Hajira B, Shah I, Azhar M. Consumption of high fat and hot temperature meals induces higher subjective satiety and reduces hunger. J Popul Ther Clin Pharmacol. 2024;31(1):1398-1411.
13. Haq IU, Mehmood Z, Ahmed B, Shah J, Begum N, Hajira B, et al. Determinants of diarrhea among children aged 1 to 6 years in flood-affected areas of Pakistan: a cross-sectional study. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2023;110(2):323-330.
14. Hajira B, Khan I. Effect of sorghum and barley-containing bread on plasma total polyphenols, antioxidant status and inflammation in healthy subjects. J Food Sci Technol. 2022;59(12):4935-4944.
15. Hajira B, Khan I, Din Z. Combined effect of sorghum and barley flours incorporation on in-vitro starch digestibility, estimated glycemic index and consumer acceptability of white bread. Sarhad J Agric. 2022;38:997-1006.
16. Akhtar SZ, Adeeb H, Hajira B, Ullah I. Glomerulonephritis: distribution of biopsy-proven glomerulonephritis in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan, a single-centre study. Prof Med J. 2019;26(5):787-794.
17. Hajira B, Manzoor M, Samiullah M, Chawla RK. Effect of dietary counselling on the nutritional status of end-stage renal disease patients. J Pak Med Assoc. 2017;67(9):1327-1330.
18. Hajira B, Din Z, Khan I. Knowledge, attitude and practices of mothers regarding infant feeding and its effect on child nutritional status. Pak Paediatr J. 2016;40:91-100.
19. Akhtar SZ, Nasir S, Hajira B. The use of peritoneal dialysis in the management of patients with renal failure at Institute of Kidney Diseases, Peshawar. Int J Med Res Health Sci. 2014;3(1):5-11.
20. Hajira B, Samiullah M, Chawla RK. Nutritional status assessment of hemodialysis patients at Rehman Medical Institute, Peshawar. ARPN J Agric Biol Sci. 2013;8(4):329-336.
Publications
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