Shayesteh Jahanfar
Research/Areas of Interest
Dr. Jahanfar is a reproductive epidemiologist with strong training in public health and biostatistics. Her research focuses on reproductive health, maternal and child health, and the interplay between genetic and environmental factors. She has extensive experience working with twin cohorts and has contributed to multiple twin studies conducted in Australia, Malaysia, Canada, and the United States.
Her research portfolio spans reproductive and maternal–child health, global health, HIV/AIDS, opioid use, and twin studies. She is currently involved in World Health Organization–funded projects addressing determinants of cesarean section rates, family planning, and assisted vaginal birth.
Dr. Jahanfar is an active Cochrane trainer, reviewer, and author, and serves as Director of the Cochrane Affiliate at Tufts University with the U.S. Network, as well as co-director of the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth U.S. Satellite. In these roles, she is committed to strengthening institutional engagement between Tufts University and the Cochrane Collaboration. She actively seeks to engage students and researchers in collaborative work related to Cochrane evidence synthesis, twin studies, and reproductive and maternal health research.
Dr. Jahanfar is also working with the Maternal and Perinatal Health team in the Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research at the World Health Organization.
Education
- Doctor of Philosophy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, 2016
- Doctor of Philosophy, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, 1995
- Master of Science in Community Health, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Seri Kembangan, Malaysia, 2009
- Postdoc Epidemiology and Public Health, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Seri Kembangan, Malaysia, 2008
Biography
Dr. Jahanfar is an international Cochrane trainer and a member of the Cochrane Maternal, Newborn and Child Health group. She has conducted more than 82 Cochrane workshops and webinar series across the United States, Canada, Malaysia, and the Middle East, training over 850 clinicians and scientists in standard Cochrane author methods. Her work with the Cochrane Central Team includes developing training materials for trainers. She serves as Director of the Cochrane Affiliate at Tufts University, co-director of the former Pregnancy and Childbirth Satellite_US Network, and is an active collaborator with the Cochrane Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Methods Group. She also holds a secondary appointment with the Tufts School of Arts and Sciences.
Dr. Jahanfar is a highly prolific scholar, with more than 400 publications, including peer-reviewed manuscripts, abstracts, and books. In 2025 alone, she has published 23 papers in first-class journals. Her research spans maternal and child health, evidence synthesis, and global health, with ongoing projects in Australia, Malaysia, Egypt, Iran, Europe, and the Middle East. She has recently joined the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (EMRO) as a consultant.
Under her leadership, Tufts University signed a memorandum of understanding with the University of Malaya, enabling sustained student engagement in global health research. This partnership has supported student participation in international research projects during the summers of 2022-2025, reflecting her strong commitment to advancing global health education and experiential learning. More information about these initiatives is available here:
https://medicine.tufts.edu/news-events/news/student-research-projects-malaysia-improve-global-health-education
Students who traveled to Malaysia in 2024 have developed e-portfolios highlighting their research achievements, which can be viewed at the following links:
https://sites.google.com/view/tuftsgrapsophi/home
https://sites.google.com/view/syennatufts2024grap/home
https://sites.google.com/view/grapkl-ianc/home?authuser=0
Students interested in participating in research projects in Malaysia during Summer 2026 are encouraged to contact Dr. Jahanfar directly at shayesteh.jahanfar@tufts.edu
.