Dr. Ashish Bajracharya, a social demographer from Nepal, sought opportunities to expand his international experience after completing his PhD in Policy Analysis and Management from Cornell University.
He was accepted into the Fred H. Bixby Fellowship program—which matched early-career social and biomedical scientists from low- and middle-income countries with experienced Population Council mentors.
Based in the Council’s New York office, Dr. Bajracharya was mentored by Dr. Sajeda Amin, an expert in topics related to adolescents and gender in South Asia. He conducted research on poverty, early marriage, education, and workforce participation in several countries, including his home country.
Dr. Bajracharya then joined the Population Council as a staff member, working in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Bangladesh. His research aimed to improve access to sexual and reproductive health services for underserved populations and to strengthen health systems around the world. Among his accomplishments, he established and served as the Country Representative of the Population Council’s office in Cambodia, and co-led WorkerHealth, a USAID-funded initiative to meet the family planning and reproductive health needs of female factory workers.
Dr. Bajracharya is currently the Deputy Director of International Programs and provides leadership and support to the Council’s international offices and its affiliate organizations in 13 countries around the world.
Learn more about our Fellows.