Engaging students in research

BHP Director John Richards is in Dhaka during June and July, meeting with IUBAT College of Nursing faculty and students and visiting Oasis for Posterity projects. IUBAT Prof. Hasnat Alamgir sent this photo from his Research Methods course for third-year nursing students. To graduate from the BSN program, the students complete a major research project and thesis, sometimes conducting dozens of interviews on topics such as ante-natal care or infection control in hospitals. On this occasion, John shared his own research projects, suggested a dozen potential public health topics and, as he says, “Tried to motivate them to conduct good research.” Humour is a pretty good motivator!

Congratulations to Mid-Main CHC

BHP’s long-time sponsor, Mid Main Community Health Centre, moved into a brand-new purpose-built clinic this month. The new premises are close to Mid-Main’s former home on Main Street in Vancouver. That building was satisfactory but near the end of its life and certainly not ideal for working under Covid conditions. Mid-Main’s Executive Director Irene Clarence led the entire CHC team through a planning process with the architects so the new space is designed around patients’ needs. “After two years of planning,” Irene says, “We are thrilled to have a new home that is so well-suited to the community health centre model of care.”

Gerard van den Heuvel

On February 3 2022,IUBAT lost a good friend. Gerard visited Bangladesh several many times, supporting Rotary Club activities as well as contributing to development of administrative systems at IUBAT. In his working life, Gerard was a member of the Executive Board of Tilburg University and Director of the Academy of Journalism, Fontys Tilburg. Personally, he was deeply committed to study of Christianity and Islam, and supported many global development initiatives especially in Bangladesh.  He will be remembered for the many lives touched by his good works at IUBAT, Rotary and elsewhere in the world.