Fathimath Zimna is an Associate Lecturer with over 15 years of experience in higher education, training, and curriculum design, with expertise in project management and healthcare collaboration.
Ms. Fathimath Zimna has been serving as an associate lecturer at the Faculty of Health Sciences of the Maldives National University since December 2009. Zimna holds a Bachelor’s degree in Medical Laboratory Sciences from the Maldives National University and a Master of Public Administration from Cyryx College. She has served as the head of COVID19 laboratories from the inception of the National Health Emergency Centre in 2020 and continued the work until the 30th of October 2022. The main responsibilities include coordinating and streamlining all processes related to COVID19 testing and development, and the establishment of COVID19 testing facilities.
Her core interest areas center on research and policy advocacy addressing critical issues linked to climate and just transition. This includes a strong emphasis on the intersection of Occupational Safety and Health, the reinforcement of social security and protection systems, and the defense of labor rights amid the climate emergency. services, particularly in the health and social sectors. This includes protecting wages and improving working conditions for healthcare workers and promoting safe staffing ratios to strengthen the overall healthcare system.

1. Clinical Chemistry
2. Infectious Diseases, Infection Prevention and Control (IPC), and Antimicrobial Resistance.
3. Transfusion Science
4. Public policy and Public Finance (Focus on labor management & climate change)
5. Occupational Safety and Health (OSH)
6. Curriculum Development

1. Transfusion Sciences
2. Clinical Chemistry
3. Occupational Safety and Health (OSH)
4. Infection Prevention and Control (IPC),

• Project on Strengthening healthcare workforce capacity through global learning (SCALE) in collaboration with Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation (NHCT), United Kingdom. 2024 till date.
  • Role: Project Lead
• Project (P173801) under the emergency response and health systems preparedness (MV- MOH-277371-CS-CDS) to conduct infection prevention and control training for healthcare workers across the Maldives, 2021-2022.
  • Role: Project Lead
• Prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) among Health Workers of Addu Equatorial Hospital: Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors. (URG-2024-C1-L- AS13). 2024 till date.
  • Role: Co-investigator
• Prevalence of Vitamin D Deficiency in females, aged 18-35 years in Male, Maldives, under the Research Grant of Maldives National University, URG-2024-C1-LA16 (2024 – till date)
  • Role: Co-investigator
• Survey on the prevalence of G6PD in the Maldives
  • Role: Co-investigator

• Public attitudes towards migrant workers among Maldivians residing in the Greater Male’ region, A project submitted as partial fulfilment of the requirement for the award of Master of Public Administration, Cyryx College, 2022

  • Role: Principal Investigator

• Head of COVID-19 Laboratories, Ministry of Health (2020 – 2022) During the COVID-19 pandemic, she served as Head of COVID-19 Laboratories, where she was responsible for overseeing operations, identifying gaps in testing capacity, including human resources, equipment, and consumables, and communicating these needs to the Health Emergency Operations Centre (HEOC) and the Ministry of Health.
  • Role: Project Lead
• Awarded the Summer School Public Services International Research Unit (PSIRU),
  University of Greenwich in London, UK (2025) 
  • Role: Participant and Capstone research project development
• Awarded the Global Labor Leadership Initiative (GLLI), Cornell University, USA (2024-
  2025)
  • Role: Participant