Sondos Al Sad
Dec, 2022
The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
– Mahatma Gandhi
It was 2005 when I designed the first women’s health education workshop, I had only taken a couple epidemiology courses and one community medicine course.
I had no funding, mentorship or knowledge to implement the program. I literally ripped unused papers out of my medical school notebooks, designed a survey of 10 different questions, handwritten them on these papers and sought help from my wonderful friends to help me write 180 surveys using ragged papers!
People had all kinds of reactions, from cynical to awe! Meanwhile, I had a purposeful action. We randomly placed those humble paper surveys on car windshields and store doors. We waited for women in a small city north of Jordan to fill them and hand them back.
That research project aimed to learn about women’s health preferences and questions. Book stores, graphic designers, and women’s health clinicians participated and supported the research project as it evolved, free of charge!
No proposal needed, no academic filters, no concern for credit or legacy and no personal gain beyond community service. The project grew into a year-round educational program across Jordanian main cities. It seeded my approach to community participatory research before it even existed as a methodology!
Back then, I strapped my boots with a team of community advocates, and we gracefully sought people’s input. Today, I walk with many shoulders next to me on that path around the globe, overcoming academic restraints and geopolitical filters to steer the wheel from any temporary profit to longitudinal and purposeful wellness.
I strongly believe that research from people to people may reduce the lag between evidence and practice.
What journey did you strap your boots for lately?
