Seven major research universities have offered Khairul Islam, a former journalist of the Financial Express, for his doctoral study, beginning fall 2019. The universities are 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 University of Memphis in Tennessee.
Khairul is a graduate of Dhaka University. He 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.
Khairul noted that with the rapid diffusion of digital technology, 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, 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 emphasise on 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 the 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 public for maximum of digital technology for health purpose.
Before he left for the US in August 2015, Khairul worked as a Dhaka University Correspondent and Staff Reporter in The Financial Express for almost five years. He obtained 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, "Such happiness and feelings are the results of combined efforts, struggles, hard work, sacrifices and good wishes from the loved ones. Being an international student, getting PhD admission with full funding indeed is big news for me and my family."
