Muhammad Zakaria
PhD Student & Graduate Teaching Assistant
Manoogian Hall 508 (5th floor)
Muhammad Zakaria
Biography
Muhammad Zakaria is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Communication at Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA. He has an extensive academic and professional background in health and risk communication, with a focus on physician-patient interactions, maternal and reproductive health, and communication interventions for underserved populations. Before joining Wayne State University, Zakaria served as a permanent faculty at the University of Chittagong, Bangladesh, where he taught communication courses and conducted research for over a decade.
Zakaria has published widely in peer-reviewed journals, exploring issues such as health disparities, dyadic communication regarding health, patient satisfaction, and the impact of communication on public health outcomes. His research has been recognized at national and international conferences, including the International Communication Association (ICA), the National Communication Association (NCA), the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC), the American Public Health Association (APHA), the International Crisis and Risk Communication Association (ICRC) and the Kentucky Conference on Health Communication (KCHC). His quantitative research works emphasize communication aspects of health and addresses critical social determinants of health in developing countries.
As a health communication scholar, he continues to bridge the gap between academia and practice in global health communication.
Degrees and Certifications
Ph.D. in Communication, Expected Graduation 2026 (Summer), Wayne State University
Bridge Graduate Certificate in Public Health Practices, Expected Graduation 2025 (Fall), Wayne State University
M.P.H, Public Health, 2018, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
M.S.S, Mass Communication and Journalism, 2002, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh
B.S.S, Mass Communication and Journalism, 2001, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Primary Research Interest
Health Communication, Risk Communication, Physician-Patient Communication, Interpersonal Communication, Social Determinants of Health, Quantitative Research, Refugee Health, Reproductive and Sexual Health, Maternal Health, Adolescent Health, Social Science Research
Recent Publications
Zakaria, M., Mazumder, S., Faisal, H. M., Zannat, R., Haque, M. R., Afrin, T., ... & Xu, J. (2024). Physician Communication Behaviors on Patient Satisfaction in Primary Care Medical Settings in Bangladesh. Journal of Primary Care & Community Health, 15, 21501319241277396. https://doi.org/10.1177/2150131924127739
Islam, M. A., Islam, M. K., & Zakaria, M. (2024). A Mega City’s Communication Response to Dengue Outbreak: An Application of CDC’S CERC Principles. Proceedings of the International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference, 6 (pp. 13-16). Orlando Fl: International Crisis and Risk Communication Association. https://doi.org/10.69931/JOED9321
Zakaria, M. (2024). Exploring STI/HIV Knowledge and Effect of Communication Activities Among Rohingya Refugee Women: A Camp-based Cross-sectional Study in Bangladesh. Journal of Psychosexual Health, 26318318231221947. https://doi.org/10.1177/26318318231221947
Mazumder, S., Bulbul, M. R. H., Uddin, A. G. M., & Zakaria, M. (2024). Prevalence of myths, misinformation, risky, and preventive behaviors regarding COVID-19 among hospitalized patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 in Bangladesh: A cross-sectional study. International Archives of Health Sciences, 11(2), 69-78. https://doi.org/10.48307/IAHSJ.2024.418547.1067
Zakaria, M., Islam, M. A., Islam, M. K., Begum, A., Poly, N. A., Cheng, F., & Xu, J. (2023). Determinants of Bangladeshi patients' decision-making process and satisfaction toward medical tourism in India. Frontiers in Public Health, 11, 1137929. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1137929
Zakaria, M., Nachrin, T., & Azad, M. A. K. (2022). Evaluating the effectiveness of utilization of health communication interventions on sexual and reproductive health of the Rohingya women living in Cox’s Bazar refugee camp. Heliyon, 8(12), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e12563
Azad, M. A. K., Zakaria, M., Nachrin, T., Chandra Das, M., Cheng, F., & Xu, J. (2022). Family planning knowledge, attitude and practice among Rohingya women living in refugee camps in Bangladesh: a cross-sectional study. Reproductive Health, 19(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-022-01410-0
Khan, A. Z. R., & Zakaria, M. (2022). An Appraisal of Male Support for Contraceptive Use in Low Resource Setting of Chattogram City, Bangladesh. Asia Social Issues, 15(3). https://doi.org/10.48048/asi.2022.251865
Zakaria, M., Karim, R., Rahman, M., Cheng, F., & Xu, J. (2021). Disparity in physician-patient communication by ethnicity: evidence from Bangladesh. International Journal for Equity in Health, 20(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/ 10.1186/s12939-021-01405-6
Das, M. C., Zakaria, M., Cheng, F., & Xu, J. (2021). Appointment Length with Patients in Medical Consultations in Bangladesh: A Hospital-Based Cross-Sectional Study. Healthcare, 9, 1164, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9091164
Zakaria, M., Khan, A. K. M., Ahmad, M., Cheng, F., & Xu, J. (2021). Women’s Perception of Male Involvement in Antenatal, Childbirth and Postnatal Care in Urban Slum Areas in Bangladesh: A Community-Based Cross-Sectional Study. Healthcare, 9(473), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9040473
Rahman, M. M., & Zakaria, M. (2021). Facebook Use and its Relationship with Physical and Mental Health among University Students in Bangladesh. Communication and Media in Asia Pacific (CMAP). 4(2), 33-44. http://doi.org/10.14456/cmap.2021.9.
Karim, R., Rume, I. R., & Zakaria, M. (2021). Factors Influencing Physicians’ Patient-centered Communication Behavior in Medical Encounters. Communication and Media in Asia Pacific (CMAP), 4(1), 33-41. DOI: 10.14456/cmap.2021.4 Aziz, A., Islam, M. M., & Zakaria, M. (2020). COVID-19 exposes digital divide, social stigma, and information crisis in Bangladesh. Media Asia, 47(3-4), 144-151. https://doi.org/10.1080/01296612.2020.1843219
Zakaria, M., Karim, F., Mazumder, S., Cheng, F., & Xu, J. (2020). Knowledge on, Attitude towards, and Practice of Sexual and Reproductive Health among Older Adolescent Girls in Bangladesh: An Institution-Based Cross-Sectional Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(21), 7720, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17217720
Zakaria, M., Xu, J., Karim, F., & Cheng, F. (2019). Reproductive health communication between mother and adolescent daughter in Bangladesh: a cross-sectional study. Reproductive health, 16(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-019-0778-6