Dr. Khem Pokharel is a public health professional with a PhD in Global Health and over sixteen years of experience in designing, implementing, and evaluating public health programs in Nepal and internationally. His professional expertise includes health systems research, implementation research, program design, and monitoring and evaluation.

Throughout his career, Dr. Pokharel has worked with major development partners including USAID, UKAID, UN agencies, and several national and international NGOs on a wide range of health programs covering reproductive health, maternal, newborn and child health, nutrition, neglected tropical diseases, and HIV. He has also contributed significantly to academic research, publishing more than twenty-five articles in international peer-reviewed journals.

As a Technical Advisor to HEARD Nepal, Dr. Pokharel provides strategic guidance on program design, research, monitoring systems, and evidence-based public health interventions.