Maisam Najafizada

Areas of Research Interest

Health Policy Analysis
Global Health
Comprehensive Primary Health Care
Human Resources for (Population) Health
Complex Adaptive Health Systems
International Comparison of Health (Care) Systems

Current Research Projects

Evaluation of Cannabis policies in Newfoundland and Labrador.
The project is titled, “An Integrated Process and Outcomes Evaluation of Cannabis Legalization Policies in NL to Examine Public Health and Safety Impacts of Sales, Consumption and Enforcement Regulations.” Our objective is to assess the impact of cannabis legalization on health and public safety in NL by evaluating the province's policy on recreational cannabis. We are considering the impact of legalization on health and public safety by:

• describing how people in NL use cannabis compared to the rest of Canada.
• examining how the way we sell cannabis in NL meets government goals as well as cannabis user needs.
• determining if the public education campaigns are effective for delivering key messages about cannabis regulations and safety.
• measuring how cannabis legalization has impacted public health and safety.

Link to our webpage.

Enhancing the lives of older Canadians in Long-term Care in NL. CFHI.
Amongst the promising practices on Long-Term Care (LTC), the LTC research partners would like
us to focus on the Presence of Family in the LTC homes. We are proposing a “resident-and family- centred care intervention for the LTC”. This is a concurrent multi-component intervention. Its components include:

1. Virtual solution such as e-visit by providing i-pad to facilitate and support residents’ day-today visits with their family and to support electronic messaging between LTC staff and the family to inform and update on resident health conditions.
2. Visitation policy by informing and updating family on current visitation guidelines which may include restrictions on number of visitors, screening protocols and masking and protocol for end-of life.
3. Virtual mental health support for residents and family members including providing access to NL mental health support, free access to EH online health and wellness library (ref 4), a series of recorded self-directed mindfulness videos , a virtual peer-support group for families and virtual visit by a care provider for residents. Virtual access to LTC Social Work and Pastoral Care teams for both residents and families to provide individual and group support.
4. Residents care plan for COVID and non-COVID including virtual care, person-centred integrated care plans for all residents, at least of individual with IPC training among the LTC leadership to assist the LTC in case of an outbreak.

Identifying models of patient-centered care in Canada.
The objective of this project is to identify and synthesize models of patient-centered care in Canada, and compare them with the current normative models described in the literature. The multiplicity of Canadian health care delivery systems including the federal, the provincial and the territorial models makes a good case to search for various models of patient-centered care and identify novels methods.

Publications:

• Najafizada, et al. (2021) Analyzing models of patient-centered care in Canada through a scoping review and environmental scan. Journal of Public Health. Apr 1, 1-13 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33824849/
  
• Najafizada, et al. (2019, Aug) #HelloMyNameIs: A simple act to improve patients’ experiences of care. The Conversation. Available at https://theconversation.com/hellomynameis-a-simple-act-to-improve-patients-experiences-of-care-121082

1. Najafizada, M., Rahman, A., Donnan, J., Dong, Z., Bishop, L. (2022,) Analyzing sentiments and themes on cannabis in Canada using 2018 to 2020 Twitter data. Journal of Cannabis Research, 4,22. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42238-022-00132-1

2. Bishop LD; Drakes DH; Donnan JR; Rowe EC; Najafizada(2022) Exploring youths’ cannabis health literacy post legalization: A qualitative study. Journal of Adolescent Research. https://doi.org/10.1177/07435584221118380

3. Donnan, O. Shogan, L. Bishop, M. Najafizada. (2022). Drivers of purchase decisions for cannabis products among consumers in a legalized market: A qualitative study. BMC Public Health. 22(368). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-12399-9

4. Najafizada, M., Rahman, A. & Oxford, K. (2021) Analyzing models of patient-centered care in Canada through a scoping review and environmental scan. J Public Health (Berl.)(2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-021-01528-8

5. Najafizada et al. (2021) Social determinants of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis: A scoping review and research gaps. Indian Journal of Infectious Disease. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijtb.2020.09.016

6. Sheppard, G, … Najafizada, M (2021). The prevalence and patterns of use of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in Newfoundland and Labrador. Canadian Journal of Rural Medicine. 4103/cjrm.cjrm_61_20

7. Najafizada M, Potter B, Bourgeault IL, Labonte R. (2019). Maternal and child health performance of a national CHW program using large administrative databases: a quantitative case study of Afghanistan. J Glob Health Rep 2019; 3: e2019061.

8. Razzaq, S. Najafizada, et al. (2019). National level preparedness for implementing the health-related SDGs in Seven South Asian Countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. Global Policy. doi:1111/1758-5899.12753

9. Najafizada, M., Labonté, R. & Bourgeault, I.L. (2019) HRH dimensions of community health workers: a case study of rural Afghanistan. Hum Resour Health17, 12 doi:10.1186/s12960-019-0347-7

10. Cometto, G.,.. Najafizada et al. (2018). Health policy and system support to optimise community health worker programmes: an abridged WHO guideline. The Lancet Global Health, (18), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(18)30482-0

11. Najafizada, M., Bourgeault, I.L., Labonté, R. (2019). A gender analysis of a national Community Health Workers program: a case study of Afghanistan. Global Public Health, 14(1), 23-36. DOI: 10.1080/17441692.2018.1471515

12. Najafizada, et al. (2017). Ranked performance of Canada’s health system on the international stage: A scoping review. Healthcare Policy, 13(1): 59-73. Available at http://www.longwoods.com/content/25191

13. Najafizada, S.A.M., Labonte, R., Bourgeault, I.L. (2017). Considering social determinants of maternal health in Afghanistan: A narrative review. Central Asian Journal of Global Health, 6(1). Available at http://dx.doi.org/10.5195/cajgh.2017.240

14. Najafizada, S.A.M., Cohen, M. (2017). Community-entrepreneurship tackling poverty in Bamyan Province, Afghanistan. World Development Perspective. 5. 24-26. Available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.wdp.2017.02.003

15. Najafizada, S.A.M., Labonte, R., Bourgeault, I.L. (2017). Stakeholder’s perspective: Sustainability of a community health worker program in Afghanistan. Evaluation and Program Planning. 60. 123-129. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2016.11.004

16. Najafizada, et al. (2015). The role of Community Health Workers in Canada and some other HICS: a scoping review. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 106(3), e157-e164 doi: 10.17269/CJPH.106.4747

17. Azimi, M. D., Najafizada S.A.M, Khaing, I.K., Hamajima, N. (2015) Factors Influencing Non-institutional Deliveries in Afghanistan: Secondary Analysis of the Afghanistan Mortality Survey 2010. Nagoya Journal of medical Science. 77, 133-43

18. Najafizada, S.A.M., Labonte, R., Bourgeault. I. L. (2014) Community health workers of Afghanistan: a qualitative study of a national program. Conflict and Health, 8:26 doi:10.1186/1752-1505-8-26

Reports & policy papers

1. Donnan J., Bishop L., Najafizada M., and Humphries, D. (Oct 2020) Newfoundland and Labrador Cannabis Policy Evaluation: Needs Assessment Workshop, Fall 2020. Cannabis Policy Evaluation Needs Assessment Workshop, St. John's, NL, Canada. Available at: https://www.mun.ca/pharmacy/research/cannabiseval/PCPE_NL_Handbook_-_Web.pdf
2. Najafizada, S.A.M. (2018). Policy research institutions and the health SDGs: building momentum in South Asia - country report, Afghanistan. IDRC Library. Available at http://hdl.handle.net/10625/57091
3. Najafizada, S.A.M, Cohen, M. (2017, July). Alleviating poverty through social entrepreneurship. Mountain Society Research. Available at http://www.ucentralasia.org/Content/downloads/alleviating_poverty_through_social_entrepreneurship.pdf
4. Cohen, D., ... Najafizada, S.A.M. (2016). Canada’s International Health System Performance Over 50 Years. Canadian Institute for Health Information. Available at

Popular media articles and blogs

1. Najafizada, M, Peterson B, Donnan J, Bishop L, Brennan S. (7 March 2021) Cannabis education should aim to normalize — not prevent — safe and legal use. The Conversation. Available at: https://theconversation.com/cannabis-education-should-aim-to-normalize-not-prevent-safe-and-legal-use-153966
2. Najafizada, M. (2019, Sep) Universal health coverage alone won’t radically improve global health. The Conversation. Available at https://theconversation.com/universal-health-coverage-alone-wont-radically-improve-global-health-122692
3. Najafizada, M, Peterson B, Donnan J, Bishop L, Brennan S. (7 March 2021) Cannabis education should aim to normalize — not prevent — safe and legal use. The Conversation. Available at: https://theconversation.com/cannabis-education-should-aim-to-normalize-not-prevent-safe-and-legal-use-153966
4. Najafizada, M. (2019, Sep) Universal health coverage alone won’t radically improve global health. The Conversation. Available at https://theconversation.com/universal-health-coverage-alone-wont-radically-improve-global-health-122692
5. Najafizada, et al. (2019, Aug) #HelloMyNameIs: A simple act to improve patients’ experiences of care. The Conversation. Available at https://theconversation.com/hellomynameis-a-simple-act-to-improve-patients-experiences-of-care-121082
6. Najafizada, S.A.M. Sunisha, N. Roenne, F. (2018, Dec). Leaving-no-one-behind conveys a paternalistic approach to development. The Conversation. Available at https://theconversation.com/leaving-no-one-behind-conveys-a-paternalistic-approach-to-development-107322
7. Najafizada, S.A.M. (2018, Sep). Women health-care volunteers have no upward mobility. The Conversation. Available at https://theconversation.com/women-health-care-volunteers-have-no-upward-mobility-101781
8. Najafizada, S.A.M. (2018, Jan). Sexual assault and the princess industry are all part of the same system. The Conversation. Available at https://theconversation.com/sexual-assault-and-the-princess-industry-are-all-part-of-the-same-system-89839
9. Najafizada, M. (2017, Dec). Three challenges for Afghanistan’s Sustainable Development Goals adoption. Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit. Available at https://areu.org.af/three-challenges-for-afghanistans-sustainable-development-goals-adoption/
10. Najafizada, S.A.M. (2017, Aug). Fee-for-service—a bold measure by the Afghan health ministry. BMJ Global Health Blogs. Available at http://blogs.bmj.com/bmjgh/2017/08/29/fee-for-service-a-bold-measure-by-the-afghan-health-ministry/
11. Najafizada, S.A.M (2016, Dec). Health, treatment, and the problem of privatization in Afghanistan. BBC Persian. Available at http://www.bbc.com/persian/blogs-38718124
12. Najafizada, S.A.M (2014, Dec). Entrepreneurship and Sustainability in Bamyan. Weblog of the Journal of Sustainability: Science, Practice, & Policy. Guest Blog. Available at http://ssppjournal.blogspot.ca/2014/12/entrepreneurship-and-sustainability-in.html
13. Najafizada, S.A.M (2009, Feb). Afghanistan: Education in a war zone. Open Society Foundation. Available at https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/voices/afghanistan-education-war-zone
14. Najafizada, S.A.M (2014, Dec). Entrepreneurship and Sustainability in Bamyan. Weblog of the Journal of Sustainability: Science, Practice, & Policy. Guest Blog. Available at http://ssppjournal.blogspot.ca/2014/12/entrepreneurship-and-sustainability-in.html
15. Najafizada, S.A.M (2009, Feb). Afghanistan: Education in a war zone. Open Society Foundation. Available at https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/voices/afghanistan-education-war-zone