Welcoming the first batch of students, Fazle Hasan Abed, founder and chairperson of Brac, said the school has been established to provide higher education of the highest quality in the field of public health utilising the unique resources of development in Bangladesh.

A total of 25 students, including ten foreign students from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Kenya, Uganda, Philippines, Afghanistan and the USA, have received full scholarship for one year.

The school will prepare health leaders utilising Bangladesh's vast field laboratory for experimental teaching and learning. The programme has been designed to educate and empower graduates to solve problems in the field of health using skills in epidemiology, bio-statistics, modern management, nutrition, research and diseases control.

The International Centre for Health and Population Research, popularly known as ICDDR,B, also joins hands in the initiative, said a press release.

The school will have both national and international faculty with institutional affiliations with Columbia University, University of Amsterdam, Harvard University, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Johns Hopkins University.

Dr Mushtaque Chowdhury, dean of the school, introduced the students at the launching ceremony held at theBrac Centre in the city.

Prof Demissie Habte, the first international director of the school and former director of ICDDR,B, Richard cash, a professor of Harvard University School of Public Health, Dr Alayne Adams of Columbia University, Dr Anwar Islam, Carleton University, Canada, Dr Abbas Bhuiyan of ICDDR,B, Prof Yunus Harun of Dhaka University and Dr Shams Arefeen of ICDDR,B were present.