Khairul Islam receives doctoral admission from 7 major US research universities

Apu
06 April 2019
Mr Khairul Islam, a former student of Information Science and Library Management, has received offers from the United States seven major research universities for his doctoral study beginning fall 2019. The universities include Howard University in Washington DC, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Georgia State University, Wayne State University in Michigan, Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Bowling Green State University in Ohio, and the University of Memphis in Tennessee.

Mr Khairul is interested in public health, health communications in particular.

“In my PhD, I will examine the state-of-science gap between health information diffusion and consumers’ perceptions of such information,” he said while talking to TLT.

Mr Khairul noted that with the rapid diffusion of digital technologies, the consumer health informatics has been evolving across the world including in Bangladesh, empowering many users to take an active role in making own health decisions.

“Offering convenient access to the seemingly infinite resources, the Internet appears as a powerful and de facto source of health information,” he said and added that a concern, simultaneously, arises about the negative consequence of such information on users. While scientists emphasize evidence-based health innovation, consumers employ their own schema to evaluate the merits, he noted.

He said that while virtual media plays a significant role in health information diffusion, his study will investigate how people in developing countries like Bangladesh evaluate digital information the way it is being communicated.  His research will help policymakers develop efficient approaches to communicate health information with the public for a maximum of digital technology for health purpose.

Before he left for the US in August 2015, Khairul worked as a DU Correspondent and Staff Reporter in the Financial Express for almost five years. Mr Khairul earned his Master of Science degree in Mass Communications in December 2017 from Arkansas State University, USA, and joined the same university as an Adjunct Instructor in January 2018.

While sharing his happiness, Khairul said that such happiness and feelings are the results of combined efforts, struggles, hard works, sacrifices and good wishes from the loved ones. Being an international student, getting PhD admission with full funding indeed is big news for me, my family, and the community! When I often use to loss my dream for a high school degree, acceptance for doctor of philosophy (PhD) from so many top schools, indeed a great feeling!