Reza Abdullah, a Software Engineering graduate from the Institute of Information Technology (IIT), University of Dhaka, and founder of GluSonic, has been selected as a 2026 Aspen Ideas: Health Fellow by the Aspen Institute.

The Aspen Institute is a globally recognised nonprofit organisation based in the United States that convenes leaders across healthcare, science, technology, policy, business, and society to address some of the world’s most important challenges. Through its programmes and gatherings, the Institute has created platforms where researchers, entrepreneurs, policymakers, innovators, and global changemakers come together to exchange ideas and develop solutions.

Aspen Ideas: Health, one of the Institute’s major gatherings, focuses on the future of medicine, public health, science, and healthcare innovation. The event brings together physicians, scientists, researchers, entrepreneurs, investors, public health leaders, and decision-makers working to transform health systems around the world.

The 2026 Aspen Ideas: Health Fellows cohort includes more than 90 leaders from healthcare, academia, technology, entrepreneurship, and social impact, including individuals affiliated with leading healthcare companies and research organisations.

According to Aspen Ideas: Health leadership, Reza is the only Fellow in the 2026 cohort currently based outside the United States, representing Bangladesh in this global community.

Reza was selected for his work on GluSonic, an initiative exploring how machine learning and the human voice can be used as a low-cost, non-invasive signal for early health screening.

Starting with Type 2 diabetes, GluSonic studies whether subtle acoustic patterns in speech can help identify early risk signals and encourage people to seek medical testing sooner.

Bangladesh faces a growing diabetes challenge, with more than 13 million people living with diabetes and many remaining undiagnosed until complications develop. Reza believes the challenge is not only the availability of diagnostic tests, but also helping people recognise when they should take testing seriously.

“The problem is not that blood tests do not exist. The problem is that many people do not know when to take testing seriously. We are exploring whether something as simple as a voice recording can become the first step towards awareness and prevention,” Reza said.

The idea behind GluSonic grew from Reza’s earlier work with voice technology through SmoothSpeak AI, a project focused on supporting individuals with motor speech disorders. While working on speech analysis, he became interested in vocal biomarkers, measurable characteristics in the voice that may reflect changes happening inside the body.

At Aspen Ideas: Health, Reza joins physicians, researchers, founders, investors, and public health leaders to exchange ideas on the future of healthcare. He hopes to learn from global experts while contributing perspectives from Bangladesh and communities where healthcare solutions must be affordable, accessible, and scalable.

Beyond diabetes, Reza sees the future of voice technology extending into other areas of preventive healthcare, including neurological, respiratory, and mental health applications.

“I believe the future of healthcare will not only come from the largest hospitals or most advanced laboratories. It will also come from accessible technologies that help people understand their health earlier,” Reza said.

For Reza, the recognition represents a larger message about innovation from Bangladesh.

“Young innovators from Bangladesh can contribute to global conversations and build technologies that address challenges beyond borders. We do not only have to adopt the future of healthcare, we can help create it,” Reza added.