MPH enrollment underway

BHP Directors Prof. John Richards and Alex Berland along with colleagues Prof. Hasnat Alamgir and Dr. Nazmul Huda in Dhaka have been developing the Master in Public Health program at IUBAT. Preparations are complete for the first intake of students in January.

The program will be an excellent career development opportunity with a mix of local and international faculty offering a modern curriculum.

In Term One, Alex will teach a course in "One Health" concepts and John will teach Biostatistics. Student projects will be based on their own workplace issues and will emphasize professional skill development with in-class practice and coaching.

Applications are now available with various scholarship options.

Enrolment drive at Bluebell School

Guchagram, the village served by Bluebell School consists of terraces of social housing provided by Government of Bangladesh for landless farm workers. Many of these villagers have very little education themselves but most recognize its importance for their children’s future. Recently, the OFP Advisory Group recommended increasing school enrollment to achieve greater impact. Initially, Bluebell will introduce two kindergarten sections starting in January 2023 for a maximum of 40 students. Bluebell teachers have since met with parents of four- and five-year-old children, introducing them to the methods and benefits of education at Bluebell. The teachers also met with parents of existing students, encouraging them to send their children regularly instead of engaging them with household chores.

Improving mental health services in Nepal

IUBAT BSN alumnus, Sailesh Bandari, is shown above interviewing a client living in a remote community in eastern Nepal. He writes, “Currently, I am working as a Nurse Educator at an NGO known in Nepal as Unity in Health Nepal and globally known as Jaya Mental Health. Its mission is to promote the training and empowerment of the mental health care workforce and reduce health inequalities in Nepal. I love the work because most of our board members and staff are nurses. We run a mental health outreach camp, training health care staff in vulnerable and rural communities of Eastern Nepal. Currently, I am leading “The Nursing Mentorship and Preceptorship Project," which is a capacity-building project for 82 nurses in one of the government hospitals of Nepal. We have a team of psychologists, clinical nurses, and mental health nurses. Although we are just a few people, our team tries to significantly impact the personal or professional life of individuals, families, and communities. I am and shall always be grateful to the nursing education and exploration I received at IUBAT and all those people who have blessed me in my nursing journey.” In the photo below, Sailesh is leading a workshop on professional identity and reflective practice for working nurses. You can read more about Sailesh’s work at Nursing Now.