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| Meeting with mentor about the research project. |
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| Presenting Dr. Sumanth a gift after his tour of the Mysore Teaching Hospital |
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| Visiting to the Primary Healthcare Center in Hebbal, Mysore City, |
This summer, I was fortunate to work with SVYM and the Vivekananda Memorial Hospital (VMH) in Sargur to learn more about the Indian healthcare system and women’s health. I worked with my mentor at VMH to develop a survey to understand why rural Indian women refused to participate in a beneficial maternal health study, and the social and personal causes that prevent women from improving their health outcomes. This project was part of a larger umbrella project with three other countries and the WHO aiming to lower the risk factors for noncommunicable diseases and promote early childhood development. After developing the survey, community healthcare workers dispersed it to rural women who had refused to participate in the WHO study. Afterwards, I analyzed the data to look for trends among the women in regards to non-participation. On a larger scale, this project can be tied to the social determinants of health which represent the underlying social causes which can improve or worsen one’s health outcomes. The results of my project are now being used to increase participation and health outcomes among rural women in Karnataka.
This program was a valuable learning experience for me in many ways. On a personal level, working through my project enabled me to develop my communication and planning skills as I had to ensure that my deliverable was completed promptly. In terms of professional development, I was able to foray into the field of Public Health Statistics and work on a research project that could make a tangible impact. Lastly, seeing different parts of Karnataka and its diversity was a definite highlight of the program as I was able to understand the beauty and nuances of a culture that is not my own. This project has allowed me to gain a variety of memories that I will carry with me for a lifetime.
