The Department hosted a lecture featuring Mushtaque Chowdbury, PhD, MS, the Vice Chair and Interim Executive Director of BRAC, one of the largest NGOs in the world on January 31. Recently featured in The Lancet, he is an expert in health, poverty alleviation, and primary education. Dr. Chowdbury discussed what makes Bangeldesh unique, and how they have achieved significant health advances despite economic poverty. He cited numerous factors including affirmative action that has increased the numbers of women and poor people accessing education, and Bangladesh’s approach to research. “The research you do is not for research sake; it is to solve problems, he said.