The goal of the School is also to act as a centre of excellence in knowledge creation through research that connects with practice. Therefore, research and the advancement of the science of public health are seen as key functions. It conducts multidisciplinary studies on various development issues of national and global importance. These include poverty alleviation, socio-economic development, agriculture, nutrition, health equity, education, reproductive health, environment, gender and related fields. Partnerships with institutions in the North and the South, including those in Bangladesh, help ensure that the most relevant and pressing issues are the subjects of research, with a unique pro-poor and pro-equity perspective. The School is greatly aided in this pursuit by its close link with the ICDDR,B and Research and Evaluation Division (RED) of BRAC. RED has been an inextricable part of BRAC's mission, providing support to BRAC programmes.

The following additional projects/studies Studies took placed under the School: 

Building and Strengthening the Technical and Institutional Capacities of Government, NGOs and Implementing Partners 

The project activities aim to strengthen government capacity, NGO partners at national and district levels; increase standardized, high-quality interventions; monitor and improve coverage and quality; and improve coordination. The capacity building package has three-pronged activities: develop skilled human resources to ensure transformation of accurate information and required skills at field level; develop standard tools and guidelines to facilitate in enhancing the capacity of service delivery organizations; and improve coordination of activities of NGOs on HIV/AIDS related issues with local level forum. Under developing standard tools and guidelines - two needs assessment studies were conducted and the newly developed Standard Operating Procedures for services to PLHAs is now under implementation with technical assistance from JPGSPH, BRAC University. The duration of the project is from January 2008 - March 2012 and is funded by Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM). 

Urban Gates Manoshi Project 

This study aims to improve maternal and child healthcare, and reduce maternal and child mortality rates in urban slums by conducting initial formative research on community health practices, maternal and child health practices, health-seeking behaviour, private providers and others. The study is funded by BRAC and the Gates Foundation, and jointly carried out by BRAC RED and ICDDR,B. The project is expected to run from 2007-2011. 

Bangladesh Health Watch 

Bangladesh Health Watch (BHW) is a multi-stakeholder civil society advocacy and monitoring network which is dedicated to improve the health system in Bangladesh through critical review of policies and programmes and recommendation of appropriate actions for change. The objective of BHW is to improve health of the people by way of monitoring progress in the health of the population and health systems, and playing a catalytic role in making lasting changes in the health sector. The main activity of Bangladesh Health Watch is to publish an annual report on the state of health in Bangladesh every year by commissioning researches. A Working Group consisting of researchers and activists from different organizations carry out the different activities for the Watch. The Secretariat for the BHW is located at the James P Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University. It was initiated in 2006 and will continuing. BHW is funded by different donors, such as Swedish SIDA, Rockefeller Foundation etc. 

Centre for Health Systems Studies (CHSS)

Communicable Disease: Vulnerability Risk and Poverty 

The study aims to explore the challenges encountered by the BRAC TB control programme in peri-urban and district town areas of Bangladesh. Research partners consist of BRAC and National TB Programme (NTP). The duration of the study was from April 2006 - March 2011. It was funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID).

Globalization as Social Determinant of Health

This study aims to explore globalization as a social determinant of health by linking it to food consumption, food related health problems, and health seeking behaviour in urban youth. Research partners include Mahidol University, Thailands. The duration of the study was from November 2008 to March 2009. The study was funded by the World Health Organization (WHO) South East Asia Regional Office (SEARO).

Revitalizing Health for All: Developing a Comprehensive Primary Health Care Model for Bangladesh

The study aims to develop a comprehensive primary health care model for Bangladesh by reviewing the historical evolution of the Primary Health Care system in Bangladesh and identifying the gaps by situation analysis. Research partners include Teasdale-Corti Global Health Research Partnership Program, University of Ottawa and ICDDR,B.  The study is expected to run from March 2008 - 2011 and it is funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada.

National Food Security Nutritional Surveillance Program (FSNSP)

This project aims to develop a mechanism through which the nutritional as well as health status of women and children can be regularly assessed over time throughout the country for advocacy, policy and planning, timely warning, and post assessment. FSNSP also aims to provide timely information on the health, agriculture, economic, and social sectors with regard to food security and nutrition. Research partners include Helen Keller International, Bangladesh and Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. The project is expected to run from June 2008 - June 2013. It is funded by the European Union.

District Investment Case Analysis

The overall purpose of the study is to provide technical support to DGHS and UNICEF to plan and conduct the District Investment Case Analysis (DICA) activities in 3 districts. DICA demonstrates the opportunity for the government and its development partners to strengthen fragile health systems by highlighting the urgent need to accelerate progress towards achieving health related MDGs (1, 4, 5, 6 and 7), leverage resources from the government and its development partners to adequately invest in MNCH in order to achieve tangible and sustainable results. The duration of the study was from August 2009 - April 2010. It was funded by UNICEF.

Introducing Pay For Performance (P4P) Approach to Increase Utilization of Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Services in Bangladesh 

The P4P approach is a pilot project pioneered by The Govt. of Bangladesh to expedite the progress towards achieving MDGs 4 and 5. The purpose of the operations research (OR) is to improve maternal, newborn and child health, particularly to reduce maternal, neonatal and under-five child mortality and morbidity. The study was funded by United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) and the duration of the study is from May 2010 to June 2011.

Centre for Gender, Sexuality and HIV/AIDS (CGSH)

Universal Access to Health /Neglected Sexual Reproductive Health Rights of Married Men and Women in a Rural Village in Bangladesh 

This project aims to understand the knowledge and practices related to neglected sexual and reproductive health problems of married men and women of reproductive age, and to map local providers of sexual reproductive health (SRH) services, and understand their perspectives and practices. The duration of the study was from January 2006 - August 2010. It was funded by Realizing Rights Project (DFID).

Sexuality and Power

This project aims to examine and analyze the contemporary sexual patterns in relation to power of urban Dhaka citizens such as male and female university students, male and female garment workers, MSM (male who have sex with male), gays, lesbians, and transgender communities. Research partners include IDS, INDEPTH Network, African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). The duration of the study was from January 2006 - August 2010. It was funded by Realizing Rights Project (DFID). 

Gender Based Violence 

This project aims to understand the experiences of gender based violence among males and females residing in urban slums. Similar research was concurrently conducted in Kenya among Kenyan urban slum dwellers. Research partners include African Population and Health Research Centre (APHRC). The duration of the study was from April 2009 - June 2010. It was funded by Realizing Rights Project (DFID).

PLHAs Index Study in Bangladesh 

The main aim of the study is to identify the actions needed to address HIV related stigma and discrimination faced by HIV-positive population in Bangladesh. The duration of the study was from August 2008 - January 2009. It was funded by UNAIDS. 

HIV/AIDS Programme Successes & Challenges

This study aims to identify the current HIV/AIDS situation and intervention programmes implemented in order to gauge their successes and challenges as reported by stakeholders. The duration of the study was from June 2008 - December 2009. It was funded by UNAIDS.

Violence Against Marginalized Women in Bangladesh, India, and Nepal 

This multi-country project aims to examine and analyze the different experiences of violence faced by marginalized women in the three countries. Partners include CREPA, SNEHA ,and UCL. The duration of the study was from May 2009 - April 2010. The study was funded by The Royal Embassy of Netherlands.

Improvement of Reproductive Health in Bangladesh

In collaboration with the National Institute of Population Research and Training (NIPORT), the project looked into improving the reproductive health programme, understanding the role of gender in reproductive health outcomes, and understanding demand aspects of maternal health care and family planning. The duration of the study was from April 2007 - September 2009 and funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency ( JICA) and Government of Bangladesh.

Barriers to Adequate and Equitable Access in the Provision of Menstrual Regulation Services in Bangladesh: 

A Qualitative Study This is a collaborative study between the Guttmacher Institute, BRAC University (JPGSPH), and the Bangladesh Association for the Prevention of Septic Abortion (BAPSA). The study was conducted among women who have experienced menstrual regulation (MR) and providers to better understand the critical barriers that impede access to MR services and hence contribute to an unacceptably high level of unsafe abortion and associated health complications in Bangladesh. This qualitative study is a follow up to the national-level quantitative study to estimate the incidence of menstrual regulation (MR) and abortion in Bangladesh. It was funded by UNFPA. The duration of the study is from February 2010 - April 2011.

Revealing the Challenges of Peri-Urban and District Town TB Control Programme of BRAC in Bangladesh

This is a multi- country project involving government and non-government organizations from Nepal, Pakistan, China, Ghana, Uganda, and the United Kingdom. BSPH is one of the partners in this Research Consortium. The leading partner of this project is Institute of Science and Public Health, University of Leeds, UK, and is funded by Department of International Development (DFID), UK. It is a multi-country study to conduct research and develop strategic guidelines for DOTS programme in urban settings. A key strategy will be to anchor research within operational programmes and explore the challenges faced. 

BSPH has been conducting a research titled "Revealing the Challenges of Peri-urban and district town TB Control Programme of BRAC in Bangladesh" as part of this RPC. Dr. Shahaduz Zaman, Associate Professor is the Principal Investigator of the Project. The aim of this operations research project is to develop an operational strategy for BRAC Tuberculosis Control Programme in peri-urban and district town areas. The research is being undertaken in three consecutive phases. At present, second phase is about to be initiated. The Phase I explored health seeking behaviour of TB patients including experiences of patients and their families with DOTS in peri-urban areas. Barriers from the provider's perspective were also explored and relevant suggestions were documented to improve programme performance and also to recommend the "Operational Strategy" for BRAC TB control programme in peri-urban areas and district towns. The lessons learned from this 5-year research project will be shared among National Tuberculosis Programme (NTP) and the partner NGOs supporting the urban settings to recommend a strategic guideline for policy development.

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