Md Zillul Karim - Md Zillul Karim

Applied Researcher in Digital Health, Parenting Support, and Early Childhood Systems

I am an applied researcher focused on digital maternal and child-health platforms, parenting-support systems, and early childhood policy. My work examines how continuous, trusted support between clinical and community touchpoints can improve parental confidence, health-information access, and scalable service delivery. Drawing on my experience building family-health and education platforms through ToguMogu and Light of Hope, I translate implementation data, platform analytics, and policy evidence into research that supports more effective digital-health models for underserved families.

Professional Focus

I am an applied researcher and social entrepreneur working at the intersection of digital health, early childhood development, parenting support, and family well-being.
My work examines how scalable digital platforms can support parents and caregivers between clinical, educational, and community touchpoints. I focus on platform engagement, maternal and child-health information access, parenting education, responsible AI-enabled personalization, service navigation, and sustainable delivery models for underserved families.
I co-founded ToguMogu, a digital parenting and family-health platform, and Light of Hope Ltd., an education technology organization focused on children and families. Over the past decade, I helped design and scale digital products, parenting-support tools, learning platforms, and family-focused programs in collaboration with engineers, content specialists, health experts, and institutional partners.
I continue to hold co-founder/shareholder affiliations and board-level responsibilities, while my current focus has shifted toward applied research, publication, and policy-oriented analysis.
My research and implementation experience are reflected in publications such as “The Gap Between Appointments Is Where Child Health Is Won or Lost” in Health Affairs Scholar (DOI: 10.1093/haschl/qxag146) and The aid collapse is a stress test for locally built health tech | Devex. My broader work has been connected to innovation initiatives involving UNFPA, the H&M Foundation, BRAC, The Asia Foundation, and Bangladesh’s ICT Division, and has been covered in national and international media.

My Journey

My journey began with a simple question: how can technology provide practical, trusted support to families beyond the limits of traditional institutions? Over the past decade, I have worked to answer that question by building and studying digital platforms for parenting, child development, education, and family well-being.
Through this work, I became increasingly focused on the evidence behind platform impact: who uses these tools, how families engage with them, what kinds of support they need, and how digital systems can be designed responsibly and sustainably. This experience now shapes my applied research on digital maternal and child-health platforms, parenting-support models, and early childhood systems.
I believe technology should not be built for novelty alone. It should close real support gaps, strengthen family confidence, and help health and education systems reach people before problems become crises.

Recognition and Achievements

Current Roles

Co-Founder, Board Member & Applied Research AdvisorToguMogu Pvt. Ltd.

Serving in strategic leadership and advisory capacity for over 8 years, with prior executive operating experience including 9 years as Chief Operating Office

Co-Founder Light of Hope Ltd.

Bringing more than 12 years of leadership experience, including 7 years overseeing HR and supply chain operations and 5 years as Chief Operating Officer organizational level, UNHCR, Sesame Street Bangladesh, BRAC, and Sajida Foundation.

Education

Masters in Business Administration (MBA)

Completed my MBA degree in Marketing from Stamford University Bangladesh during 2015-2016.

Bachelors in Business Administration (BBA)

Graduated in Human Resource Management (HRM) from IBAIS University during the year 2006-2013.

Academic Thesis

Title: An Analysis of Customer Loyalty: A Study on Bangladesh Telecommunication Industry
University: Stamford University
Publication Date: January 1, 2020
Link: Read the full thesis here.

Description: This thesis explores the dynamics of customer loyalty in the Bangladesh Telecommunication Industry, focusing on the relationship between customer relationship marketing strategies and market performance. The study sheds light on factors influencing customer perception, loyalty, and market position within the context of the competitive telecommunication market in Bangladesh.

Featured Peer-Reviewed Publication

The Gap Between Appointments Is Where Child Health Is Won or Lost” — Health Affairs Scholar, 2026. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/haschl/qxag146

This peer-reviewed publication examines a major gap in U.S. early-childhood health: the lack of continuous, reliable parental support between clinical appointments. It advances three policy recommendations: systematic tiered referrals to parenting support, clarified Medicaid and CHIP funding pathways, and validated parent-confidence measures in early-childhood health programs. The article frames parental support as essential health infrastructure for improving child health outcomes.

Academic & Policy Recognition

Policy-Facing Digital Health Research

My policy-facing work in Devex (The aid collapse is a stress test for locally built health tech | Devex) examines how locally built digital-health platforms can sustain essential services when traditional aid systems contract. This work reflects my broader research focus on scalable, sustainable digital-health infrastructure and the role of local platforms in improving access to family-health support.

ImpactAlpha Recognition – Gender & Inclusive Innovation

Md. Zillul Karim and ToguMogu have been featured in ImpactAlpha's global impact reports for their contributions to gender-smart innovations and family-centric digital solutions.

Featured in "The Brief" by ImpactAlpha

Md. Zillul Karim and ToguMogu were spotlighted in ImpactAlpha’s "The Brief", discussing ventures advancing gender equity, inclusive digital solutions, and early childhood support.

Impact Portfolio

Preventing Child Labor Through Education – Collaboration with BAT Bangladesh

As the Director of Light of Hope Ltd., I led a large-scale education initiative in partnership with British American Tobacco (BAT) Bangladesh, aimed at preventing child labor by ensuring farmers' children stayed in school.

UNICEF Bangladesh Collaboration – Digital Learning for Adolescents

One of my most impactful projects involved partnering with UNICEF Bangladesh to develop e-learning courses and apps for secondary school adolescents, focusing on Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health (ASRH) educationthrough digital platforms.

Sesame Workshop Bangladesh – Financial Literacy

Implemented Dream Save Do program reaching 24,000 participants across 100 locations with MetLife Foundation funding (~$104,000).Delivered financial literacy to 24,000 participants across 100 locations ($104K MetLife Foundation funding)
Independent Evaluation by Light, D., Pierson, E., Maxon, T., & Park, M.K. (Nov 2018), pp. 12-15: Report Link : (6) Final Evaluation Report for Dream, Save, Do

Scaling Social Enterprises – Roots of Impact Partnership

Competitively selected for Roots of Impact's performance-based investment program, achieving 66.67% of verified impact targets and building an original measurement framework rated "highly satisfactory" by independent Swiss government evaluation. Independent Evaluation Report (see page 5, Table 1) Report : (Bangladesh_B-Briddhi_MTR-SDC-Jackson-2022.pdf erification Report, p. 5)