Vadim Kogan was born in Chisinau, Moldova and immigrated to Chicago, USA with his family when he was young. As a biology student at Illinois Wesleyan University, Vadim traveled to India and was inspired to join the Ride Against AIDS. He biked across the USA presenting on HIV stigma and raising money for HIV clinics in Rwanda. He earned a master's degree in public health from Boston University, focusing on epidemiology. As a research fellow at Harvard Medical School, Vadim studied patient engagement in global tuberculosis programs and led an advocacy training institute for TB survivors in India. Upon graduating, he worked at the Boston Public Health Commission, training HIV counselors on serving at-risk populations.