Dr.Abdul Razzaque Nohri

𝐀 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.....

I feel deeply honoured to share that my journey as a University of Birmingham student has been featured on the university’s website: “𝐀𝐛𝐝𝐮𝐥’𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲.”

When I left my homeland and arrived in Birmingham in September 2025, I knew I was beginning a new chapter. What I did not realise was how much this year would transform me, not only academically, but personally and professionally.

Coming from Sindh, Pakistan, my goal was always bigger than earning another degree. It was about learning how communities, systems, and societies can work together to create better health outcomes, especially for those who are often unheard.

I am incredibly grateful to Chevening Awards (FCDO), for giving me this life-changing opportunity. Chevening did not just open the door to study at one of the world’s leading universities; it connected me with an inspiring global network of people committed to creating positive change.

My sincere gratitude goes to my teachers whose guidance, encouragement, and openness made this journey meaningful. Every discussion, feedback session, and classroom interaction shaped the way I think about public and environmental health.

To my classmates and friends from across the world, thank you for the conversations, collaborations, cultural exchanges, and friendships. Studying alongside people with different experiences and perspectives has been one of the greatest parts of this journey.

I am also thankful to the volunteering organisations and community initiatives that welcomed me and allowed me to contribute beyond the classroom. These experiences reminded me that learning becomes more valuable when it is connected with service. HOPE for Epilepsy, Cancer Research UK, British Heart Foundation, Islamic Medical Association

Finally, I want to thank the wider network I have built since September 2025 colleagues, mentors, fellow scholars, university teams, and everyone who shared advice, opportunities, encouragement, or simply a meaningful conversation.

As I move forward, I carry with me the same purpose that brought me to Birmingham: to use knowledge, collaboration, and compassion to contribute towards healthier and more resilient communities.

Thank you, University of Birmingham, for giving me a place to learn, grow, and belong. 💙

Read my story here:
https://intranet.birmingham.ac.uk/student/news/public/2026/july-sept-26/abdul's-story.aspx

UK in Pakistan

Abdul's Story What happens when an experienced healthcare professional becomes a student again? Dr Abdul Razzaque shares how stepping outside his comfort zone helped him gain the global perspective he needed to make a difference at home.

Today at the , I had the privilege of attending a powerful policy dialogue on:
“How can Global Just Transition Commitments become workable policies for the Global South?”
I was honoured to represent Pakistan as a Chevening Scholar and as a current MSc Public and Environmental Health student at the

The event brought together a distinguished panel of experts, academics, policy voices, Chevening leadership, scholars, and development practitioners to discuss one of the most urgent questions of our time: how climate commitments can move beyond global promises and become practical, fair, and community-centred policies.

For countries like Pakistan, Just Transition is not only about clean energy. It is also about protecting livelihoods, ensuring affordable energy access, strengthening healthcare, reducing poverty, supporting rural communities, and making sure climate finance reaches those already facing the harshest impacts of climate change.

As someone from a climate-vulnerable country, this conversation felt deeply personal and professionally relevant. Floods, heatwaves, displacement, food insecurity, and climate related mental health impacts are not future risks for many communities,they are already lived realities.

The strongest reflection I am taking from today is that Just Transition must be designed with the Global South, not simply for the Global South.

Grateful to the University of Bristol, Cheveners in Policy & Development, the School for Policy Studies, Cabot Institute for the Environment, and all organisers and speakers for creating such a meaningful space for dialogue, learning, and policy reflection.
👌✌️👍

𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞-𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫: 𝐀 𝐉𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐈 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫

A few stickers on my laptop, but behind them is almost a full year of memories, lessons, struggles, friendships, and personal growth.

When I first came to the UK as a Chevening Scholar, I knew it would be a big opportunity. But honestly, I did not fully understand how much this journey would change the way I think, the way I see the world, and the way I see myself.

Now, as this Chevening Awards (FCDO) journey is about to end in the next couple of months, I find myself looking at this laptop differently. It has been with me through everything:
-Late-night assignments
-Library sessions
-Recent dissertation stress
-Train journeys
-Chevening events
-Volunteering activities
-Meetings
-Online research conferences
-Research Interviews
-Chevening mock interviews and awareness sessions
and
quiet moments when I simply sat and thought about how far life had brought me.

This year was not only about studying in the UK. It was about learning how to survive and grow in a completely new environment. It was about managing academic pressure, living away from family, understanding a new culture, building confidence in rooms full of talented people, and representing Pakistan with pride wherever I went.

There were beautiful moments of:
-Meeting inspiring scholars from across the world
-Attending events
-Exploring new cities
-Building friendships
-Learning from world-class academic spaces
and
-Feeling proud to be part of the Chevening community.

But there were also difficult moments, such as:
-Homesickness
-Uncertainty
-Pressure
-Cold weather
-Deadlines
-Self-doubt
and
-Days when everything felt heavy.
And maybe that is what made this journey real. Growth does not always feel comfortable when it is happening. Sometimes it feels lonely, stressful, and challenging. But when you look back, you realise those were the moments that shaped you the most.

Chevening has given me more than a degree. It has given me exposure, confidence, networks, discipline, and a deeper sense of responsibility. It has reminded me that leadership is not about titles; it is about service, humility, courage, and the ability to create impact beyond yourself.

As the journey slowly comes closer to its end, I feel a mixture of gratitude, pride, nostalgia, and responsibility. Gratitude for the opportunity. Pride for surviving and growing through it. Nostalgia for the memories I will soon leave behind. And responsibility to take everything I have learned back into my work, my community, and my country.

This sticker says “1 life-changing year in the UK” and now I understand the meaning of every word.
Because yes, one year can change your life.
But only when you allow it to challenge you, stretch you, humble you, and prepare you for something bigger.


Chevening Awards (FCDO)
University of Birmingham

“Some people see gloomy weather; I see a city breathing again. 🌧️🌈
Today, Calthorpe Park looked like a reminder that even in busy urban life, nature still finds ways to heal, soften, and surprise us. From fresh rain and dramatic clouds to unexpected rainbows and calming green spaces, moments like these show why parks and green infrastructure are not luxuries, they are essential for healthier, happier cities.” 🍃

Stepping through millions of years of earth’s history at where fossils, rocks and science tell stories older than humanity itself.
Proud to study as student at where learning goes for beyond the classroom.

𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐃𝐚𝐲 2026: 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐄𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲

On this Earth Day, I reflect on planetary health, the idea that human health and the health of our environment are deeply connected and influence each other.

As a Chevening Awards (FCDO) Scholar currently pursuing a Master’s in Public and Environmental Health Sciences at the University of Birmingham, my academic and lived experiences continue to reinforce a critical reality: 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐚 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲.

Human-caused climate change is increasing health risks in many connected ways, including heat-related illness and deaths, poor air quality, the spread of vector-borne diseases, food insecurity, and water shortages. These effects do not impact everyone equally; they place a greater burden on already vulnerable communities and further widen existing health inequalities.

From my early exposure to environmental and health challenges in Tharparkar (Pakistan) to engaging with global health discourse in the UK, I have come to appreciate the importance of systems thinking, climate-resilient health systems, and evidence-based policy integration.

Addressing these challenges requires a transdisciplinary approach that integrates:
𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 to quantify climate–health linkages
𝐆𝐞𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐬 to monitor environmental change
𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 (𝐇𝐈𝐀) to inform policy decisions
𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞-𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 (𝐍𝐛𝐒) for sustainable and scalable interventions
𝐄𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐲-𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 frameworks aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐲𝐦𝐛𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜, 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

As emerging public health professionals, we must move beyond advocacy towards implementation science, policy translation, and scalable interventions that safeguard both ecological integrity and human well-being.
Because ultimately, advancing planetary health is not optional, it is foundational to achieving sustainable, resilient, and equitable futures.

Honoured and grateful to receive the Birmingham Award from the University of Birmingham as Chevening Scholar.

This award recognises students who contribute beyond academics to make a positive impact within the university and wider community.

During my time here, I have had the privilege of serving as a Student Guild Representative, while also engaging in volunteering, skills development initiatives, health promotion activities, and international collaborations. These experiences have allowed me to connect with inspiring individuals and contribute to meaningful initiatives in public health.

I am also sincerely grateful to the Chevening Scholarship for their support, which has made this journey possible.

This recognition motivates me to continue working towards health equity, community engagement, and global collaboration.

Careers Network (University of Birmingham)
University of Birmingham
Chevening Awards (FCDO)