People in Bangladesh wearing masks provided as part of a Yale study. Photo: IPA-Bangladesh. Masks can save lives in areas with little access to vaccines. A program with origins in Yale SOM research gets them to sometimes isolated rural areas and encourages their use. It has reached 100 million people in Bangladesh and other countries in South Asia with a boost from Hanesbrands Inc. and critical support from local governments. By Karen Guzman A research-based initiative launched by Yale SOM faculty to promote the use of face masks in the developing world is gaining ground, thanks to burgeoning relationships with governmental officials and non-government implementers in the targeted nations, and boosted by a donation of 80 million masks from Hanesbrand, Inc.