MPH Faculty

Background

Thet Htwe is a family physician from Myanmar (Burma) and a leading proponent of education in the field of reproductive and sexual health. She joined Binghamton University in 2023 as a visiting assistant professor of nursing and public health in Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences. She is also the Charles E. Scheidt Resident Practitioner in the University's Institute of Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention (I-GMAP).

Since 2015 the cornerstone of Htwe's work has been the nonprofit organization she founded to provide comprehensive sexual-health classes and programs in communities throughout Myanmar. Under the concept of “from home to nation,” those grassroots efforts have been augmented by outreach to business and governmental leaders in the hope that their learning experiences will translate into policy decisions promoting, among other things, gender equality.

Htwe’s work focuses on healthcare and integrating into society the aspects of medical and social sciences that directly impact people’s lives in areas such as community development, social justice and women’s rights. In addition to informal classes for all people at the community level, Htwe’s organization has collaborated with teachers in the formal education system to establish safe, positive and nonjudgmental learning spaces in schools and universities. By initiating public-awareness campaigns and workshops, the organization has also encouraged members of the general public, business leaders and nonprofit groups to combat sexual harassment, sexual violence and sexual exploitation.

Another emphasis of Htwe’s work has been the use of digital and social media platforms to debunk myths that historically have been widespread in Myanmar in regard to sexual and reproductive health, with the intertwined goals of promoting healthy behavioral changes and reducing the spread of infectious diseases. In a corollary to that mission, Htwe was one of the organizers of the response in Yangon (Myanmar’s largest city) to the COVID-19 pandemic and a trainer in the national public health COVID-19 program. On another front, she has been active in the interfaith peace-building movement in Myanmar in collaboration with religious, civil-society and youth organizations.

Htwe graduated from the University of Medicine 2, Yangon, with a bachelor of medicine and bachelor of surgery (MD) in 2007 and a post-graduate degree in family medicine in 2015. She completed her medical training with a faculty fellowship in family medicine from a joint academic program of the Boston University Global Health Collaborative and the Myanmar Academy of Family Physicians. She is a former executive member of the General Practitioners’ Society in Myanmar and a life member of the Myanmar Medical Association. 

In 2018, Htwe was presented an award for outstanding service to society by the Social Alliances, a group of nonprofit organizations in Myanmar. In 2019, she was also selected as one of 20 transformative women leaders in Myanmar society by a national organization of local community groups working for gender equality. In 2022, she was honored as one of three finalists for the prestigious Mary Chirwa Award for Courageous Leadership presented to grassroots organizers from around the world by the Mary Chirwa Award Foundation in conjunction with the Nudge Academy Global Impact Challenge, The Hague, Netherlands.

Htwe is translator and publisher of the Burmese version of the book “Status of Women in Islam, 4th edition” by Dr. Ahmed Abdul Magid Hammoud. She also contributed to the Gender and Religion textbook of the Gender Studies Center, Myanmar Institute of Theology, where she presented her qualitative research findings on “Gender Concern in Myanmar Muslim Community.”

Education

• Faculty fellowship in family medicine, Myanmar Academy of Family Physicians and Boston University Global Health Collaborative
• Postgraduate degree in family medicine, University of Medicine 2, Yangon
• Bachelor of medicine and bachelor of surgery (MD), University of Medicine 2, Yangon

Research Interests

• Community health
• Cultural sensitivity in healthcare and health promotion
• Human rights
• Violence against women
• Gender equity and equality
• Sexual harassment
• Conflict-related sexual violence

Clinical Interests

• Family health
• Women’s health
• Youth-friendly healthcare
• Mental health

Teaching Interests

• Community-based approaches to health education
• Sexual and reproductive health and rights
• Curriculum development for health educators

More Info

Professional activities

• Community health organizer and national public health responder (COVID-19 pandemic)
• Diploma in legal studies, Myanmar Institute of Legal Education
• Lead trainer of Women’s Voices Project, Metta Development Foundation, Myanmar
• Consultant and organizer of Break the Silence Campaign for preventing and combating sexual violence in Myanmar
• Cofounder, Az-Zahra Women’s Group (Myanmar)
• Vice president, Myanmar Shia Muslim Youth Organization