As a new doctor back in the early 2000s, Dr. Rajiv Chowdhury learned quickly that there weren’t enough medically qualified care providers in Bangladesh to meet the needs of the country’s large population.

“The quantity was a huge issue, and then came the quality issue,” he shared, adding that top medical professionals were educated abroad in countries like the U.S. and the U.K. After completing their studies, some would return to Bangladesh to work in private hospitals in big cities, leaving people in rural areas without options for quality health care. “The medical professionals found in these areas were limited in their training, their global knowledge, and the latest updates on treatment procedures,” he said.Chowdhury points to this revelation as the spark that set him on the path to a career in global health—one where he could focus on the health of communities instead of individual patients.