Sharmin Sultana

Casual Academic

College of Medicine and Public Health

sharmin.sultana@flinders.edu.au

Adelaide Home Office

Flinders University City Campus, Festival Tower, Station Rd, ADELAIDE, SA, 5000

Sharmin Sultana is a PhD researcher based at Flinders University (College of Business, Government and Law), where she commenced her doctorate in July 2025. Her PhD focuses on artificial intelligence chatbots to support mental health among Australian older adults, using a mixed-methods approach. She currently contributes to research and co-design work at Flinders as a Research Assistant and Casual Professional.

Prior to commencing her PhD, Sharmin held academic and health-sector roles across Australia, Thailand, Bangladesh, and Japan. This includes teaching in the Department of Non-Communicable Diseases, Faculty of Public Health at Bangladesh University of Health Sciences, where she contributed to public health education and capacity building in NCD prevention and control and evidence-informed practice. She also has experience as a patient engagement and business development manager at Bumrungrad International Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand collaborating with multidisciplinary teams to strengthen patient-centred service delivery and earlier clinical rehabilitation/physiotherapy positions.

Her broader professional objective is to leverage international experience and research expertise to drive innovation and enhance organisational effectiveness across academic and professional environments.

Qualifications

PhD (in progress), Flinders University (College of Business, Government and Law), started July 2025.
Title: Artificial intelligence chatbots to support mental health among Australian older adults: A mixed-methods study.
Master of Public Health (MPH), International Program, Faculty of Public Health, Mahidol University (Bangkok, Thailand), completed December 2023 (CGPA 3.77/4.00).
Thesis: Mental Health and Associated Factors among Bangladeshi Migrants in Thailand.
MPhil in Noncommunicable Diseases (NCD), Bangladesh Institute of Health Sciences (BIHS) (under Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University; collaboration with University of Oslo), completed July 2014.
Thesis: Risk Factors of Major Noncommunicable Diseases among Santal Indigenous Population in Bangladesh.
BSc in Physiotherapy, Bangladesh Health Professions Institute (BHPI) (under University of Dhaka), completed November 2008.
Dissertation: Effectiveness of Paraffin Wax Bath for the Management of Hand and Wrist Pain.

Honours, awards and grants

Bumrungrad Star Award (2025) — hospital-wide recognition for outstanding performance and patient-centred care.
Excellence Customer Engagement Award (2025) — recognised for leading initiatives that improved patient engagement and service quality.
Bumrungrad Star Award (2024) — hospital-wide recognition for outstanding performance and patient-centred care.
NOMA Fellowship (University of Oslo, Norway) — fellowship to undertake MPhil in Public Health (Noncommunicable Diseases), July 2010 to June 2012.

Selected travel grants (conference presentations)

International Epidemiological Association (IEA) Scientific Meeting, Chiang Rai, Thailand (22–25 November 2022).
World NCD Congress (WNCD), Chandigarh, India (4–6 November 2017).
International Epidemiological Association (IEA) Scientific Meeting, Bangkok, Thailand (24–26 November 2015).

Key responsibilities

Research (Flinders University): Contributes to doctoral research on AI chatbots for mental health support in older adults (mixed-methods).
Project work: Research Assistant on co-designing AI chatbots for mental health support in older adults (Flinders Factory of the Future SIRP grant; ongoing).
Research delivery: Experience in study design, proposal development, data collection, data analysis, and manuscript preparation across multiple research projects and publications.
Communication and dissemination: Experience presenting findings, supporting evidence synthesis activities, and contributing to the writing/finalisation of research outputs.
Professional/teaching roles:
Former Lecturer in Non-Communicable Diseases (Bangladesh University of Health Sciences) with experience in curriculum/learning support, delivery of lectures/tutorials, student mentoring, and assessment support, with a focus on NCD prevention/control and translating evidence into public health practice.

Patient engagement & business development/ support management (Bumrungrad International Hospital, Bangkok) — cross-functional coordination to improve patient experience, service delivery and stakeholder communication.