Jubaer Hossain completed his studies in electrical and electronic engineering at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) and then enrolled at Kyrgyz State Medical Academy, Kyrgyzstan to study medicine. He spoke to Prothom Alo about why he became interested in medicine after studying engineering.
Why are you studying medicine after becoming an engineer?
I studied electrical and electronic engineering at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), but I got involved with biomedical engineering in the final year of my graduation. I mainly worked on how disease can be detected using artificial intelligence and how tumour markers can be detected using the artificial intelligence language model. In fact, my interest in medicine grew while working on biomedical engineering. There is no opportunity to study both medicine and engineering from the perspective of Bangladesh, but it is very common to obtain a double degree in North America because they want to create medical scientist, who mainly operates healthcare-related initiatives. Since there is no opportunity in Bangladesh I came aboard for study.
Have you faced any academic complications?
I had to receive an eligibility certificate from the Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council (BMDC), and I had to complete O level and A level from the British Council to be eligible for this certificate.
You also became champion in an anatomy competition.
It was the human morphology and desmurgy competition. It was also more enjoyable for me because I was the team leader. Usually, students of medical universities from central Asia participate in the completion on basic anatomy, cytology, pathological anatomy and desmurgy. This time, a total of 13 teams contested in event and we emerged as the champion.
How much do you enjoy studying medicine after engineering?
There is a huge pressure in medical studies. It does not end. I also work as a data scientist at a company and most of my time passes through studies and work. We also developing an app ‘Shosti’ related to healthcare services. Its users will be able to save their prescriptions, medical reports and various health-related data. We have a plan to include artificial intelligence in it gradually.
What will be the benefit of obtaining a double degree?
I want to establish a research institute that will work on precision medicine, which looks at the genetics and lifestyle of patients to prescribe specialized treatment. This process is very effective for various life-threatening diseases like cancer, and artificial intelligence plays a big role in this case. Since I have prior work experience in artificial intelligence, I want to use it. I also want to pursue higher degrees in precision medicine in any North American country.