Graduate Ambassador

I chose public health because it allows me to work at the intersection of science, equity, and impact. Growing up in Bangladesh and working in urban informal settlements, I witnessed firsthand how social, environmental, and systemic barriers can prevent people, especially the most vulnerable, from accessing basic health services and living healthy lives. Initially trained as a doctor, I soon realized that individual clinical care, while important, was not enough to address the root causes of illness in the community. Public health gave me the lens and tools to understand health holistically, from the environment people live in to the policies that shape their access to care. My work with BRAC JPGSPH, icddr,b, and now at the University of Arizona has deepened my commitment to solving complex problems such as climate-driven health risks, exposure disparities, and health inequities in underserved populations. Public health is where I found both purpose and potential to create meaningful change, not just for individuals, but for entire populations.

I chose the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health (MEZCOPH) because of its strong emphasis on environmental health sciences, community-engaged research, and its leadership in addressing climate change and health equity in the Southwest and beyond. The faculty’s interdisciplinary expertise and the college’s commitment to serving underserved populations directly aligned with my academic goals and professional values. MEZCOPH offered me the opportunity to work on impactful, NIEHS-funded projects such as SCORCH (Southwest Center on Resilience for Climate Change and Health), where I contribute to research at the intersection of environmental exposures, climate resilience, and vulnerable communities.

My public health interests lie at the intersection of data science, machine learning, environmental health science, and toxicology. I am passionate about leveraging computational tools and advanced analytics to better understand and predict the health impacts of environmental exposures, particularly in vulnerable populations.