Ishtiaque Fazlul, an assistant professor at the University of Georgia (UGA), is using data-driven research to address issues related to health and well-being. With joint appointments in the School of Public and International Affairs and the College of Public Health, Fazlul’s work spans topics from education policy in Georgia classrooms to global health initiatives.
Fazlul’s academic journey began in Bangladesh, where he grew up on a university campus before studying economics at Dhaka University. He later worked with Innovations for Poverty Action, focusing on randomized controlled trials aimed at reducing poverty. This experience led him to pursue graduate studies at Georgia State University, where his interests shifted toward applied microeconomics with a focus on health and education.
“Education is an important component of well-being,” Fazlul said. “If you have education, your income, your health, your overall quality of life improves.”
His research includes studies on how early learning opportunities and access to Advanced Placement (AP) tests affect long-term outcomes for students. Internationally, he examines how early social institutions impact long-term health outcomes. In the United States, his projects explore how policies influence public health and economic opportunity.
Fazlul is also working to improve existing measures of disadvantage by developing predictive models that go beyond traditional metrics like eligibility for free or reduced-price meals. He applies artificial intelligence and machine learning in public health contexts; one notable project involves co-leading a maternal health chatbot with communications scholar Soroya McFarlane. The chatbot aims to provide culturally sensitive guidance for expectant mothers and their partners and is supported by a National Institutes of Health AIM-AHEAD grant. Future plans include integrating this technology with electronic health records.
In addition to his research activities, Fazlul teaches data analytics for international policy courses designed for students without prior statistical training. “We code together in class,” he said. “It’s an accessible way to learn analytics for policy evaluation.” He also leads dissertation seminars for doctoral students in public health and serves as a mentor both inside and outside the classroom.
“Teaching DrPH students is a collaborative and mutually enriching experience. Many students work full time — often at the CDC or other federal agencies — and bring valuable real-world perspectives into the classroom,” he said.
Fazlul attributes much of his success to UGA’s interdisciplinary environment: “UGA gave me a platform to collaborate, publish, attract grants and get my work out there,” he said.
Looking forward, Fazlul intends to refine predictive models related to maternal morbidity, expand the reach of the maternal health chatbot, and continue researching links between early social institutions and long-term health outcomes both domestically and internationally.
“Being an applied microeconomist equips you with a flexible toolkit,” he said. “You can apply expertise in statistical methods and causal inference to different domains of social and behavioral sciences.”
The overarching goal guiding all these efforts remains consistent: using data-driven approaches to improve well-being across communities.
