Colin David Butler is a co-founder of the non-governmental organization BODHI (Benevolent Organisation for Development, Health and Insight), which has autonomous branches in the United States and Australia.
[citation needed] In 1985, prior to his final year of medical school, he spent ten months outside of Australia, mostly studying health issues in low-income countries.
His longstanding interest in global health led him to pursue a Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (DTM&H), which he received from the Royal College of Physicians in 1990.
"[4] While studying for his PhD, Butler was awarded the 2001 Borrie Prize by the Australian Population Association for "the best student paper on a population-related topic".
"[8] Butler's grant project, which he completed in 2015, was entitled "Health and Sustainability: Australia in a Global Context.
The network has six major research themes: poverty, climate change, infectious disease, ecosystem disruptions, security, and transformation.