Biography
Dr Muna Abdel Aziz is a retired Director of Public Health in the UK who now freelances as an Executive Coach and Mentor. Muna founded e-LAF Coaching with a group of colleagues who are passionate about learning, coaching, personal and professional development. Her motto is that ‘Every small change can make a huge difference’.
Muna has a medical degree and first started her career in public health in Sudan in 1992 as an academic. She completed her MD in Sudan, PhD from Cambridge, and she is professionally accredited as a specialist in public health in both countries. She is a founding member of the Sudanese Public Health Network in the UK from 2003, and the Sudan Health Consultancy who have worked with the UK Faculty of Public Health to support the Sudan health system as a special interest group.
She was the Director of Public Health for Salford from January 2020 to April 2025, and previously the Director of Public Health in Warrington from 2016. In Warrington, she led a number of departments including housing, neighbourhoods, environmental health and licensing; making the case for multidisciplinary multiagency approaches to improve health and tackle inequalities. Her interest in economy and health is central to her work on ‘Health in Business’ and ‘Health in Planning’ for inclusive growth.
Muna initiated the work in Salford to tackle inequalities during COVID, recognising that for Salford ‘Now is the Time to Act’. She led the public health response to COVID-19, advising care homes, schools, colleges, nurseries and workplaces. She set up the local Test and Trace team in Salford who were responding to suspected cases, arranging testing, tracing their contacts, and managing outbreaks. In Greater Manchester, she led the efforts to protect ethnic minority communities, staff and volunteers through individual risk assessments and COVID risk health checks. Together with a group of friends, she has been on an incredible journey setting up YourB which is the first Sharia-compliant credit union in the UK authorised in January 2020.
In her earlier career, Muna spent three years in the Sudan where she helped establish the Sudan Public Health Institute in her role as Deputy Director. In that time, she led several researches and consultancies covering Human Resources for Health, Mobile health, the National Cancer Strategy, and the Strategic Plan for Epidemiological diseases in Sudan. Her work has also covered diverse topics like malaria, maternal and child health, management of long-term conditions, and health impact assessments of industry.
Muna continues to engage globally on initiatives that affect countries and regions with a special interest in maternal and child health, public health information systems, and mobile health. Re-elected by the UK Faculty of Public Health to the role of International CPD Adviser, and previously Training Programme Director for Public Health Specialty in Cheshire and Merseyside, Muna retains her passion for education and continuing professional development. She firmly believes that system leadership and multi-disciplinary working across sectors will be key to achieving the transformation needed to meet the sustainable development goals.
Location
Salford Civic Centre, Chorley Rd., Manchester, England M27 5DA, United Kingdom
