Essa Tawfiq is a medical doctor by background. He earned his MPH degree from Tulane University, USA in 2010 and received his PhD degree from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand in 2015. Before moving to New Zealand in 2012, Essa worked for more than 15 years in clinical and public health settings in Afghanistan. In January 2016, Essa joined the University of Auckland, and worked in several research projects related to predictive modelling of outcomes of breast cancer and cardiovascular disease and examining healthiness of household food purchases in New Zealand. In April 2023, Essa jointed the Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney, Australia, and has been involved in research on COVID-19, PPE (personal protective equipment), health impacts of bushfires, and effects of flu vaccination on cardiovascular disease.
Essa’s research interests include predictive modelling of outcomes of cancer and cardiovascular disease, quality of maternal and child health services, healthy food environments, health risks of bushfire smoke, PPE, and COVID-19.