Zulfiqar A. Bhutta trained as a physician in Pakistan in the early stages of his career.
He holds titles across various organizations in diverse geographies.
Professor Bhutta is the Founding Director of the Center of Excellence in Women and Child Health & Institute for Global Child Health & Development, at the Aga Khan University South-Central Asia, East Africa & United Kingdom.
He is currently the Co-Director at the Centre for Global Child Health, at the Hospital for Sick Children and leads many projects as a Senior Scientist at the Research Institute in the Centre for Global Child Health at Sick Kids.
He holds a Professorship at the University of Toronto in the Department of Nutritional Sciences and the Division of Epidemiology, Dalla Lana School of Public Health.
Additionally, he holds concurrent professorship at the Department of Paediatrics, Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan and at the Schools of Public Health of Johns Hopkins University, Tufts University, Boston University, University of Alberta and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
He is a designated Distinguished National Professor of the Government of Pakistan and was the Founding Chair of the National Research Ethics Committee of the Government of Pakistan from 2003-2014.
Dr. Bhutta received his MBBS from Khyber Medical College in Peshawar, Pakistan in 1977 at which time he was names "Best Graduate of the Year" and awarded the University Gold Medal for overall distinction.
His PhD work was completed at Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden in 1996.
He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (Edinburgh & London), the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (London), American Academy of Paediatrics and the Pakistan Academy of Sciences.
Following the completion of his PhD Dr. Bhutta began working as House Surgeon in Obstetrics & Gynecology at the Khyber Teaching Hospital, Peshawar (April-November 1978).
He began work in paediatrics as a physician in November of 1978 in the Professorial Unit at the Institute of Child Health, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi (Pakistan).
Through 1980's he continued his work as a surgeon and paediatrician.
He undertook his first professor position in the Department of Paediatrics, The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi (Pakistan), from November 1987 to June 1992.
In 2005, Dr. Bhutta became the Chairman of the Department of Paediatrics & Child Health at the Aga Khan University & Medical Center, a position held until 2008.
Following his term as Chairman he became The Noordin Noormahomed Sheriff Professor & Founding Chair, Division of Women & Child Health, The Aga Khan University, a position he held for four years.
Dr. Bhutta currently holds the titles of co-director of the Centre for Global Child Health at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, and founding director of the Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health at the Aga Khan University.
In 2020, he was appointed founding director of the Institute for Global child Health & Development at the Aga Khan University and elected Fellow to the Royal Society, United Kingdom.
Outside of his professional responsibilities Dr. Bhutta serves on various local and international boards and committees, including a series of editorial boards.
In his various capacities Dr. Bhutta has produced a large collection of publications working with his teams at Sick Kids, AKU and international partners.
These include book reviews, chapters, 1.
"Haematological disorders" "Neonatal Jaundice" in Neonatal Vade‑Mecum, Fleming PJ, Speidel BD, Dunn PM Eds, Lloyd‑Luke Publishers, UK, 1986.
Revised 2nd Edition 1991.
2.
"Nutritional management of acute and persistent diarrhoea".
A M Molla, Bhutta Z A and  A Molla.
In McNeish A S, Mittal S K and Walker-Smith J A (eds).
Recent trends in diarrhoea and malnutrition, MAMC, Delhi, 1991, pp 37-51.
3.
"Paediatric Prescribing” in "Text book of Paediatrics for developing countries"            Arif MA, Hanif SM, Wasti SMK Eds, 1989, 2nd Edition 1996,  PPA, Karachi.
& Lahore 4.
"Innovations in neonatal care : Impact on neonatal survival in the developing world:.
Bhutta Z A  Zaidi S (Editor) 1992.
TWEL Publisher.
Karachi pp 121-131 5.
"Short course therapy in Pediatrics" Bhutta Z A& Teele D.  In Tice A D, Waldvogel F (Eds), Contemporary issues in Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Management, 1993 Gardiner Caldwell, Cheshire, pp 52 - 60.
6.
"Dietary management of persistent diarrhoea".
Bhutta Z A, Molla A M, Issani Z.
In Reflections on  Diarrhoeal Disease & Nutrition  of Children".
1993 Karachi, pp 97 - 103.
7.
"Prescribing practices amongst general practitioners (GPs) and consultant paediatricians in childhood diarrhoea.”  S.Q.
Nizami, I.A.
Khan, Bhutta Z A.
In "Reflections on Diarrhoeal Disease and Nutrition of Children".
1993 Karachi, pp  88-90.
8.
"The challenge of multidrug-resistant typhoid".
Bhutta Z A.
In Puri R K, Sachdev H P S, Choudhry P, Verma I C (Eds), Current concepts in Paediatrics, 1994.
Jaypee Publishers, New Delhi, pp 403.8.
9.
"Perinatal Care in Pakistan: Current status and trends".
In Proceedings of the Workshop in Reproductive Health.
College of Physicians and Surgeons, Pakistan, Karachi, 1995, pp 95-103.
10.
“A study of whole body protein kinetics in malnourished children with persistent diarrhoea” Bhutta Z A, Nizami SQ, Isani Z, Hardy S, Hendricks K, Young V.   Report of the second RCM coordinated Research Programme for application of stable isotope tracer methods to studies of energy metabolism in malnourished populations of developing countries.
NAHRES-30 1996 IAEA Vienna.
11.
"Pneumococcal infections in Pakistan: a country report".
In Adult Immunization in Asia, Fondation Mercel Merieux, Lyon, 1998. pp 79-82.
12.
“Factors affecting protein and aminoacid metabolism in childhood from developing countries".
In Child Nutrition: an international perspective.
Editors Solomons NW, Caballero B, Brown KH.
CRC Press 1998.
13.
"Protein Digestion and Bioavailability".
In Encyclopedia of Human Nutrition.
Editors: Sadler M, Strain JJ, Caballero B.
Academic Press (London), 1998 pp.1646-54.
14.
"Perinatal Care in Pakistan.
Reproductive Health: A manual for family practice and primary health care.
Bhutta Z A, Maqbool S.  College of Physicians and Surgeons, Pakistan, Karachi, 1999, pp 69-78.
15.
“Effective interventions to reduce neonatal mortality and morbidity from perinatal infection.
Bhutta ZA.
In Costello A, Manandhar D (eds).
"Improving Newborn Infant Health in Developing Countries’ 1999.
Imperial College Press, London pp.289-308.
16.
“Ambulatory management of typhoid fever”            “Risk factors and management of micronutrient deficiencies”            “Management of persistent diarrhoea in developing countries”.
In Manual of International Child Health, British Medical Journal, 2000 (in press).
17.
“The role of Cefixime in typhoid fever during childhood” in Cefixime, Adam D, Quintiliani R (Eds), Torre-Lazur-McCann, Tokyo, 2000; pp.107-112.
18.
"Micronutrients and Child Health in the Commonwealth”, Commonwealth Foundation" (UK) (2001).
19.
"Isotopic evaluation of breast milk intake, energy metabolism growth and body composition of exclusively breastfed infants in Pakistan".
Bhutta ZA, Nizami SQ, Weaver LT, Preston T. In Application of Stable Isotopes to evaluate Growth and Body Composition of Exclusively Breastfed infants, IAEA and WHO, NAHRES Report.
2000.
20.
“Typhoid Fever in Childhood: the south Asian experience”.
Ahmad K &Bhutta ZA.
In "Recent Advances in Paediatrics", Gupte S (Ed), 2000, India .
21.
“Neonatal Infections in developing countries” in  Carrera JM, Cabero L, Baraibar R (Eds).
The Perinatal Medicine of the new Millennium.