Dr. Bang has been director of the Society for Education, Action and Research in Community Health (SEARCH), a non-governmental organization that provides community health care to the tribes of the Gadchiroli district in Maharashtra, India, since 1985. He works in Gadchiroli along with his wife, Rani. His work at SEARCH has included training village health workers and traditional birth attendants to manage reproductive and child health problems and leading mass education and action on alcoholism and alcohol policy, deforestation, and tribal development. He has conducted epidemiological and operations research in primary health care, and his areas of interest include child mortality in rural areas, acute respiratory infection in children, neonatal health care, sexually transmitted diseases, tribal health, women's reproductive health, and alcoholism. He has served as a consultant to both the World Health Organization and the Government of India, for which he is currently a member of the National Commission on Population. He also serves on the Advisory Board for the global Saving Newborn Lives Initiative. He is the author of numerous publications, including the results of a recent trial on home-based neonatal care in rural India, and the recipient of several awards, including Maharashtra's highest honor, the Maharashtra Bhushan, and the prestigious Mahatma Gandhi Award. He received his MD from Nagpur University and his MPH from The Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health.
